Dia Mirza Defends IC 814's Balanced Take, Criticises 'Jingoism' Trend Amid Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar 2 Buzz

Anubhav Sinha's Netflix series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, featuring Vijay Varma, Dia Mirza, and Naseeruddin Shah and based on the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814, faced backlash over the alleged use of ‘Hindu’ codenames for the hijackers. Dia recently addressed the criticism, commenting on how, today, ‘jingoism’ is often celebrated. The remarks come amid the recent release of Ranveer Singh’s film Dhurandhar 2.

Dia Mirza On IC 814 Criticism

During her conversation on The Namrata Zakaria Show, the interviewer described Dhurandhar's tone as more 'chest-thumping,' while noting that IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack took a more restrained and nuanced approach, which had drawn criticism on social media.

Responding to this, the actress said, "The show was called out for humanising all the characters, including the terrorists. I guess it is because we are celebrating jingoism too much now. We adore it. There is a trend to enjoy and celebrate jingoism, which our show is not. I don’t regret it. It has such a balanced view and gives people the opportunity to see each side the way it was."

Further, Dia said she believes it is important for artistes to be vocal. Calling herself a 'Shabana Azmi bhakt,' she shared that she follows the veteran actor’s belief that if art is not used to improve lives, it serves little purpose. She added that she is political, has a stand, and reflects it through her choice of stories, despite the challenges.

"We are trolled regularly. Beyond that, there is all kinds of intimidation because if you are not toeing the line and not in agreement with what larger forces expect, then it is not easy," shared Dia.

Meanwhile, despite criticism and being labelled as propaganda by some, Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar 2 (Dhurandhar: The Revenge) continues its strong box office run, earning Rs 778.77 crore net in India by Day 10, according to Sacnilk.

The film is now close to surpassing SS Rajamouli’s RRR lifetime India total of Rs 782.20 crore and could cross the mark soon if the current trend continues.