- Trailer of Netflix series Operation Safed Sagar launched in Mumbai with cast and IAF officers present
- Siddharth plays martyr Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja; Jimmy Shergill portrays Wing Commander B.S. Dhanoa
- Siddharth thanked Ajay Ahuja's wife Alka for allowing the story to be told
The much-awaited trailer of Netflix's upcoming series Operation Safed Sagar, was launched on Sunday in Mumbai. The event saw the cast and crew of the upcoming film alongside several serving and retired Indian Air Force officers in attendance.
Headlined by Siddharth and Jimmy Shergill, Operation Safed Sagar tells the untold story of the Indian Air Force's Golden Arrows Squadron during the 1999 Kargil conflict. Siddharth essays the role of martyred Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, while Jimmy Shergill portrays Wing Commander B.S. Dhanoa.
During the trailer launch, Ajay Ahuja's wife, Alka Ahuja was invited on stage, with the audience standing to acknowledge her presence. Addressing the gathering, Siddharth thanked her for allowing the team to bring her husband's story to life.
“On behalf of everyone, thank you so much for letting us make this. We wouldn't have done it without your permission,” the actor said.
Responding to Siddharth, Alka Ahuja said, “Thanks to you, in fact, now I will see. I don't have any videos of Ajay; all I have is an image of him.”
Her heartfelt words visibly moved Siddharth, who struggled to hold back tears on stage.
‘Heroes Don't Always Look Like Heroes'
Actor Siddharth, who attended the event with a sling around his hand, recalled his first reaction to Operation Safed Sagar. Speaking about taking on the role of Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, Siddharth admitted that he initially hesitated to portray a real-life martyr.
He said, “My first reaction was hesitation because there's a way that heroes are depicted in our entertainment, especially a martyr. Firstly, I feel that they're not here to defend or question your interpretation. So I find that difficult.
“And secondly, the moment you know someone is a martyr, we tend to sterilise them, we tend to whitewash them, we tend to make them one certain kind of person; none of us is like that. And heroes don't look like heroes. They are heroes because of their actions.”
“So, I was scared because I didn't want to do injustice to somebody's memory. And so it took a lot of discussion with Abhijit and Oni and Kushal that we always stayed true to the integrity of a great man's memory and a soldier's story,” he added.
The actor also recalled one key question he asked from the makers. “Like I said, I asked only one question after that, which is, ‘Did she allow it?' That mattered the most to me,” he said, referring to Alka Ahuja's approval.
About Operation Safed Sagar
Helmed by Oni Sen, the series also stars Abhay Verma, Dia Mirza, Prajakta Koli, Adil Hussain, Arnav Bhasin, Amrita Bagchi, Mihir Ahuja and Taaruk Raina.
The upcoming series, filmed at Indian Air Force bases with access to Air Force aircraft and infrastructure to recreate the events surrounding Operation Safed Sagar, was developed through research and consultations with Indian Air Force veterans and families connected to the operation.