Siddharth Shares His Biggest Learning Upon Playing an Air Force Officer in Operation Safed Sagar, Calls it “One of the Most Unforgettable Experiences” of His Life

Netflix has unveiled the power-packed trailer of Operation Safed Sagar, an upcoming military drama based on one of the most significant yet lesser-known chapters of the 1999 Kargil War. Inspired by real events, the series navigates the Indian Air Force’s pivotal role during Operation Safed Sagar, a high-altitude campaign that supported the Indian Army during the conflict.

Siddharth, who plays Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, opened up about stepping into this space and revealed his biggest learning – right from the days of Rang De Basanti to Operation Safed Sagar. From playing a friend to an Air Force officer in Rang De Basanti to playing an Air Force Officer in Operation Safed Sagar, Siddharth pours it all. “Everything was a learning because we are actors. We get paid to do something that we don’t usually do. We get paid to pretend to be something that we were not born to be. To be allowed to play this character in uniform by the Air Force and by Alka Ma’am, I think that was like the hall ticket needed for this exam. And so everything has been a learning. And I don’t think one experience about the forces can teach you about the forces. I don’t think anything can teach you about the forces except joining the forces,” he says.

Speaking about his biggest learning from the show, he continues, “It is that there is a hope that what you do will change young people’s way of thinking. There is a hope that what you do or what you pretend to be will help young people see their country in a different way and to see their veterans, their legends, their heroes in a different way.”

“For me, this is not a retelling of a very important part of this country’s post-independence history. And my biggest learning is that this is not the story. This is a story. There were many squadrons involved and many martyrs and many young people whose lives changed. And because of them, our lives changed. So the learning is that this is not an achievement. This is just the beginning.’

The actor further thanked Netflix and the Indian Air Force alongwith the creators of Operation Safed Sagar. “Thank you to all of these people for making this one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life as a human being, leave alone as an actor.”

He is equally hopeful that the series will start crucial conversations “about who we are as a country, who our young people are, how they think, and how those young people dealt with the coursing blood in their veins and how they let it be spilt in the name of their country.” “And I’m really curious to see what young people say when they see this production. And all of us are very, very grateful to be here,” he concludes.

Directed by Oni Sen, the series has been created by Abhijeet Singh Parmar and Kushal Srivastava and is produced by Sanjay Routray and Sarita Patil of Matchbox Shots LLP along with Mehboob Pal Singh Brar of Feel Good Films. The ensemble cast features Siddharth, Jimmy Shergill, Abhay Verma, Dia Mirza, Prajakta Koli, Adil Hussain, Mihir Ahuja, Taaruk Raina, Arnav Bhasin, and Amrita Bagchi. The series premieres on August 7, exclusively on Netflix.