- 6 hours ago
Actor Siddharth explained how Operation Safed Sagar staged its aerial sequences using a massive VFX effort and a hydraulic MiG-21 cockpit. In the exclusive interview, Siddharth was joined by Prajakta Kohli, Taaruk Raina, Arnav Ahuja, Mihir Bhasin, Amruta Bagchi and Abhay Verma to discuss the upcoming series.
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00:00Hello and welcome, I'm Pooja Shali, to this special telecast about, well, there have been
00:05enough war movies that Indian cinema has made, and in multiple languages.
00:10But this time, it's something significant.
00:12The Kargil War 1999 was a turning point, at least for my generation.
00:16It was the first time the war was televised, and we really got to know what happens when
00:20a war is on.
00:22But then what happens when several years later, a film is made on it?
00:26Many of these actors weren't even born when the Kargil War happened, and that's why it's
00:31an incredible conversation with regard to Operation Safed Sagar.
00:35It's on Netflix.
00:37The series is incredible for the fact that it focuses on Air Force operations.
00:41The Indian Air Force launched the Operation Safed Sagar, and we'll go into the details
00:45of the title as well in the month of May, and how it was significant beyond what the Indian
00:50Army did to bring us success, and importantly, safety at our borders.
00:55Let's begin, and introducing the actors who have played some incredible characters as
01:00well.
01:01Siddharth, of course, one of the most prominent here.
01:03We've all seen him over the years.
01:05One of the, so to say, a patriotic film that made him the landmark household name was of
01:10course Rang De Basanti.
01:11Years later, what Operation Safed Sagar means to him.
01:14Arnav Bhasin is joining us.
01:16Mihir Ahuja, Prajakta Kohli, Taruk Rehna, Amrita Bagchi, and Abhay Varma as well.
01:22All of them playing the roles of Indian Air Force officers or the family members.
01:27Siddharth, I come to you because you're playing the character of squadron leader Ajay Ahuja.
01:32Just in case, to the ones who do not know, it's not just about playing the role of an
01:37officer, even during the times of war.
01:39The role that he played in real life, squadron leader Ahuja, the fact that he was involved
01:44in a rescue mission, Veer Chakra squadron leader Ahuja.
01:48When you play a role of that nature, Siddharth, and I'm not sure if you've played a real life
01:53soldier, so to say earlier, but it's different from just donning the uniform.
01:58You're representing someone who is a real life hero.
02:01How did you come over that pressure to know, I have to play this to the T and should I
02:05ask
02:06you, do you think you were destined to play this role?
02:08I'll answer your second question first.
02:11Yes, I was chosen by the universe to play squadron leader Ajay Ahuja.
02:15And the first question you asked me, I have never played real life heroes except in Rang
02:21De Basanti where I played Shaheed Bhagat Singh.
02:23And so 20 years after playing a martyr, to be chosen to play squadron leader Ajay Ahuja
02:30explains to you why I was destined to play it.
02:33But having said that, the reason I don't like to usually approach heroes and real life heroes
02:38is because usually in India, we take the lives of martyrs and we commercialize them for
02:44our own benefit to make money.
02:46And I was worried before I signed Safed Sagar that this should not have the intent that
02:52previous films have shown in that regard.
02:54So when they told me the research that had gone into the entire creation, six years of
03:00research, the complete blessing and permission of the Indian Air Force and the personal accounts
03:06of real pilots, real heroes and their families is what has gone into creating operations of
03:11Fateh Sagar.
03:12So in terms of squadron leader Ajay Ahuja's life, he was a very inspiring man both in the
03:19face of war and in peacetime.
03:21And I have tremendously enjoyed the privilege of being allowed to discover and explore his
03:29life on screen.
03:29How do you play the role of someone who's not there?
03:32How did you depend on the research?
03:34Who did you speak with, someone who had known him in person?
03:37Primarily, I've leaned only on the military research that was provided to me, which helps
03:42me to understand the beats that he had to follow when he was in the Indian Air Force and a
03:47squadron leader
03:47of the Golden Arrow Squadron 17, but more importantly, his wife, Alka Ahuja, she gave me not just the
03:56permission to play Ahuja, sir, but also gave me whatever spiritual understanding and strength
04:02I needed to wear his uniform and his shoes.
04:05And I'm happy to share that I wrote to her before I started the preparation for the performance.
04:10I asked her, ma'am, can you send me any video or audio recordings?
04:14I know it was not common in 99 and before to have video and audio recordings of our lives
04:19the way it is today.
04:20I'm sure today's youngsters can't even imagine a different time from what it is today.
04:24Everything's documented today, even for serving officers.
04:27Today we live into, here are the pictures I took but didn't have time to post.
04:31That's how many pictures we take today of ourselves.
04:33Back in the day they had no videos and no sound recordings of their lives.
04:37So I wrote to her asking for any videographic or audiographic evidence that I could,
04:41you know, use for my preparation to catch the sur of Ahuja, sir, as it were.
04:46And she wrote back to me and I also said, could you give me any personal artifact,
04:50maybe his shoelaces or a handkerchief that I can keep with me.
04:52And what did you get, Siddharth?
04:54And she wrote back to me saying, Siddharth, I don't have any video or audio recordings of Ajay,
04:58but whatever you create in Safed Sagar will be my memories of Ahuja going forward.
05:02And that broke me and my entire team for days.
05:05And she went one step further and she said, I'm sending you something.
05:09And she sent me his wings.
05:10For those who don't know, the wings are the flying patches that you wear as an Air Force pilot.
05:15It is considered an extension of a pilot's soul.
05:17And that's what she sent me to wear through the show.
05:20Is this going to be the most important gift you've ever had?
05:23I think the most important gift as an actor I've had in 20 years,
05:26like I said, the previous time somebody gave me,
05:28the universe gave me a gift was to play Shahidai Azam Bhagat Singh.
05:30I didn't think I had any quality that gave me the qualification to play him.
05:37But the universe thought otherwise.
05:38And similarly for Ahuja, sir, I got to be him.
05:42I got to wear his uniform. I got to wear his wings.
05:44And most importantly, I got to get the blessings of Alka ji.
05:47I know it may sound odd to some watching this, but do you feel in instances like this,
05:54that officer may be watching over you from the skies.
05:58And is there a connect that you feel at any point?
06:02I don't think I could have approached this performance,
06:05if I didn't genuinely believe that Ahuja, sir, was with me during the performance.
06:08And I think my boys will acknowledge the fact that we took these roles very, very seriously.
06:14And yes, other than Dhali and Ahuja, the rest of the pilots are with us today.
06:20And we did get to meet them during our prep.
06:22But it doesn't matter if you're a martyr or you survived the war.
06:25The fact that you wore the uniform and you served your country is enough to make you an immortal in
06:30any way.
06:30And we took it very seriously.
06:34And I've spent every night going to sleep thinking about Ahuja, sir.
06:37And I don't mind sharing with you that I used to have conversations with him.
06:40So that definitely confirms that he was with me throughout the filming of the show.
06:44That's brilliant.
06:45And for an actor, I think you've taken it very seriously.
06:48And remember for Squadron Leader Ahuja, it wasn't just about his role.
06:51He actually went into the enemy terrain to actually rescue a younger officer.
06:55So the kind of brotherhood also that was available at that time.
07:00And thank you for using that word.
07:02Bhai Chara or brotherhood is a very integral part of Safedh Sagarh.
07:05It is as much a show about the camaraderie of young officers as it is about service to the nation.
07:11And I'm so proud to tell you that this band of brothers I made on the journey of making Operation
07:16Safedh Sagarh will be my brothers for life.
07:19There was no age difference on a lighter note, did you?
07:21No, they're all much, they're all slightly older than me, but I'm more immature.
07:28Were you the experienced one giving all the gyan to them?
07:31I can't answer this question in good faith.
07:32They should do this.
07:33Arunav, I want to know from you because you play Goofy, right?
07:36Which is of course a code name, the one that's given to all pilots.
07:39But the one that you have was that.
07:41But what about the Air Force personnel or the officers there at the base when you were shooting?
07:48Were they around you?
07:49Were they watching?
07:50Because to you it may be acting, to them this was about what they do.
07:54So were they involved in any way?
07:56Were they watching over you?
07:56Did you feel that pressure?
07:59Yes, you do feel the pressure.
08:01But we also had consultants on the show who were helping us with our performances,
08:06with our body language.
08:08I went through a training as well, which helped me, you know,
08:13get into the body language of an Air Force officer.
08:16And I think it only helped having Air Force officers around you because
08:23you just subconsciously take a lot from them and how they're being.
08:28And I love observing.
08:29So in terms of the prep, it really, really helped because all of us had different timelines of
08:35how much we could prep on this.
08:37And just being able to, you know, being fortunate enough to be able to be on the Air Force bases
08:42in itself
08:43and not shoot in inorganic locations helped us.
08:46So huge thanks to Netflix and our producers for enabling that.
08:51And yeah, it's really been helpful to be around them.
08:55I think it's also when you shoot at the base, it's a very different feeling.
08:57Taruk, I come to you.
08:59You're also from Jammu and Kashmir.
09:01So to someone from the Valley Forge and the Kashmiri terrain, it's part of our conversations at home.
09:09But when you talk of a war situation like that, when you talk of war movies now and as an
09:13actor,
09:14war movies can be slightly exaggerated when it comes to Indian cinema.
09:18It can be what is not real.
09:20Some of the officers have mentioned it in the past.
09:22How did you ensure that if there was any personal references or experience of of having family in Kashmir
09:28and then in Kargil, how did you connect all of that to ensure authenticity in your role as a soldier?
09:34And what does it mean to wear that uniform?
09:36So, first of all, I think the responsibility that you feel once you put on those overalls is immense.
09:44Actually, I can't even put in put it into words because we genuinely don't deserve it, right?
09:51They earn it. The soldier earns it.
09:53Yeah, yeah, that's when when an actor wears it, you don't you don't wear it out of deserving to wear
09:59it.
09:59You wear it because you get the chance to.
10:02So, of course, there is an immense amount of responsibility in order to, you know, play that character and,
10:08and, you know, play that role of a real hero.
10:12At the same time, in terms of the Jammu and Kashmir aspect, we actually, we didn't get to shoot in
10:20these places.
10:21We shot in other bases.
10:24But at the same time, yes, of course, because it is, I've grown up with this conversation every day in
10:30my living room.
10:31Right.
10:31Um, I am a Kashmiri Pandit. I come from a Kashmiri Pandit family.
10:35It is a very normal conversation in our living rooms.
10:40And it kind of, over time, it builds, it hurts, it pains.
10:47And at the same time, you live with it.
10:50Hmm.
10:51You, you, you live with it knowing that, you know, my family once was somewhere and they're not there anymore.
10:58And I, and the reason I say this is that when I met these Air Force officers, they're moving every
11:06three years.
11:07Hmm.
11:07You know, they, they go from place to place.
11:10They go wherever the nation needs them.
11:12They go wherever service is needed.
11:14And you've today got the chance to play a soldier.
11:17Exactly.
11:17So, so how was it to ensure that I shouldn't look over the top and I should play to the
11:22team?
11:23We, we've, we've met these officers in real life.
11:26You have.
11:26We've met the, all the officers in real life, except for squadron leader Ajay Hoja and of course R.S.
11:32Daliba.
11:32Um, but barring those two, we've met everyone and you get a very, very real picture of what they are.
11:41They are not over the top.
11:44They are genuine, amazing human beings who have hearts.
11:50They are not machines.
11:51They are, they, they do their job very well and they are, their bravery is unparalleled.
11:57But they are genuine, lovely human beings who make you feel warm and safe and welcome.
12:02And their, their duty is above everything, but they never show it off.
12:08That's the best part about them.
12:10Abhay, I think you are among the ones who was not even born
12:13when the Kargil war happened, if I'm correct, or, or somewhere around it.
12:17But what, why I'm asking you that is because when, uh, when border was launched,
12:23when border was released, I know that there were some officers and personnel
12:27who watched the border film, which was 1971 war and joined the Indian armed forces.
12:33many of them sacrificing in the line of duty during the Kargil war in their early twenties.
12:38Do you think your role in that film, what if it inspires many young ones to join the armed forces?
12:44Did you at any point feel that?
12:46Uh, honestly, the first person would be me, myself.
12:50And, uh, second of all, uh, uh, I actually, when the war was declared that we have won it,
12:57I was born the next day.
12:59I am 27 July born and it was declared on 26th of July, 1999.
13:03And so I was the next day I was born and, uh, I obviously don't have any memories as such,
13:11but I do want, uh, want to share that I wanted to become a pilot, uh, initially,
13:17but then I realized math is so difficult that it is beyond my capabilities to even pursue that
13:26or think to pursue that.
13:27And then dreams kept shifting.
13:29But, uh, you know, as an actor, uh, you always want to do a lot of work,
13:36but you want to be a part of some or the other film or piece of cinema where you feel
13:44proud of
13:45and you feel like mentioning it to every other person you meet.
13:49And Operation Safed Sagar fulfills that part of, uh, of me telling that to everyone,
13:55because this is a once in a generational show.
13:58This is once in a lifetime show.
14:00I believe where the, the, the, the depiction of air force is, is so pure and is so genuine.
14:10Uh, um, it, it's just very beautiful.
14:13I'm feeling very short of words to explain how I felt when we were shooting it.
14:17Uh, I just realized how, how real heroes are while we were shooting it in the air force.
14:24What was it like sitting in the MIGs and the Mirages when you see, because we've all heard the sound.
14:30Siddharth, do you want to take that?
14:31Then I'll ask all, you did?
14:33Yeah, only Sangi got to sit in it.
14:35Yeah, Taru quickly, what, what was it sitting in the Mirage?
14:38It's amazing.
14:40Honestly, um, the first time we all sat in a MIG was just, we had goosebumps.
14:46We had tears in our eyes.
14:47We couldn't believe because we were sitting in planes that actually flew in the war.
14:53Yeah.
14:54They weren't just like, I mean, we sat in planes and we just imagined what the skies these planes have
14:59seen
14:59and the things these planes have done.
15:01Siddharth, was it incredible?
15:01Did you get a chance to, to sit in?
15:03So all of us, no, we did, uh, we've shot in actual MIGs with canopies down.
15:07We've shot taxi and tarmac procedures.
15:08We've, uh, done entire scenes sitting inside MIGs.
15:12It was an unbelievable experience.
15:15Uh, we are sitting in one of the most famous battle horses of all time.
15:18And a lot of our soldiers have, have fought and won in these, in these flying beasts.
15:23And it was a real lifetime honor.
15:26And I can also tell you that, uh, when we were on the tarmac one day,
15:29I think Dhali and I were shooting with our canopies down
15:32and they had to stop shoot for 10 minutes because there was a Sukhoi air show happening on top.
15:37Oh my God.
15:37And so the airmen who were treating, see, that's the thing.
15:39The war is, it's not just about the pilots.
15:42It's about the people who ready the planes.
15:44It's about the people who do the, the backup and preparation procedures,
15:47the people who do the filing and documentation procedures,
15:50the families of all of these people involved.
15:52Everybody is involved, right?
15:54We would love it because we got to experience being fighter pilots and,
15:58you know, being pretenders and behrupias just for those 10 minutes.
16:01And we came out.
16:02I remember Dhali and I hugged and we cried.
16:04Sanghi sat in it the next day.
16:05He came and hugged us and he cried.
16:07The same thing happened to Goof and Baldy.
16:09And it was a very, uh, like I said, the brotherhood is real.
16:13It is something that...
16:13This is important to know because, you know, for the viewer, they may think,
16:16oh, these people are 5 minutes in aircraft and they shoot it.
16:20But to really get the feel and to sweat it out for as many hours.
16:23Let me also tell you for the viewers watching,
16:25that the flight sequences you see in Operation Safed Sagar are done
16:29with the hard work of VFX artists.
16:31Almost 1000 visual effects artists have worked on our visuals.
16:34It will make you think that we went and shot for days and days in the sky.
16:38But again, it was not easy to achieve it even for a crew or for the actors.
16:42We had, for the first time in India, a fully hydraulic, fully photo-real MiG-21 cockpit
16:49created and put on a machine at a height that was completely controlled by a computer program.
16:55And the same computer program was used to control the lights as well as the cameras
17:00in a giant green screen set.
17:02So, analog to digital, but in a manner which is a perfect collaboration.
17:06So, when we shot and you'll see all the pilots doing what we call banking,
17:09which is you go left, you bank left, you bank right, you dip and you climb.
17:13When those things are happening, the machine is actually doing that.
17:17With us inside.
17:19With that speed, possibly, that a fighter jet would...
17:21It is the same. See, because once you're at, even at G-speed, whatever,
17:24the plane doesn't move straight. It moves like this.
17:27It's like it's riding, it's a surfboard on the waves.
17:30That's how a MiG moves in the sky.
17:32So, the actual movement of the MiG is replicated by the hydraulic machine.
17:36And Setu, our brilliant, brilliant DOP and Oni, our genius director,
17:40they created this system with our amazing VFX supervisors, Fahak and Hemal.
17:45And so, they would program 2-3 minute sequences, where including dialogue,
17:51including expression, including instructions and movement
17:54that we're doing to the actual cockpit, the plane will actually move.
17:58I also want to bring in other panelists here, because I want to talk to the woman
18:03who plays the role of the wife of squadron leader, Amrita Bakhti.
18:07Amrita, why I'm going to ask you this question is because usually when the wife
18:11or girlfriend or partners are shown, it is a very side role.
18:15That could have been done away with, but because I know 4G families,
18:19I know the role that a partner can play, the role that they play in their daily life,
18:23whether it's the uncertainty, whether it's just inspiring your partner
18:26to go ahead with that courage, because that fighter pilot, at that point,
18:30knowing this is the last minute, would definitely be possibly thinking about the family.
18:34But to know that there's this confident partner who will take care of everything
18:37gives you another level of encouragement to go ahead and serve the nation.
19:09How did you want to play your role ensuring it shouldn't look like
19:11a lot of insight into who Ajay ji was?
19:15She rarely spoke about herself.
19:17So my job was also to observe her and see how she's taken it.
19:21But we must understand that there are 26 years have passed and she has evolved
19:26into a different person.
19:28And for her, that time, that memory is kind of like a happy bubble.
19:31Also, because she did not get closure on the body.
19:34She did not see it.
19:35So for her, he can walk in at any point.
19:38So when I was approaching it, I initially went in with the idea of gravitas.
19:42But, you know, like we've said before, she's a very optimistic person.
19:48I think that's an incredibly strong thing to be, to not have turned bitter
19:53or to not hold grudges despite losing this.
19:56So for me, I think my main job was to make the world that he inhabited so endearing
20:03and so anchoring, you know, for him.
20:06It doesn't have to come in the form of an active participation.
20:10It is just that it's a home you want to come back to.
20:13It's a partner you want to come back to.
20:15You have that equality.
20:16And to give that up for a higher purpose.
20:18I think that's how I would act to approach it.
20:20Well said.
20:20It would be a role I'll watch because I want to see how a partner has been shown on
20:25operations of age.
20:25Sagar Project, I want to come to you and then to Mihir as well.
20:28You've been a solid face on digital, whether it's Insta, whether it's OTT,
20:35whether it's the new age technology that we've had to portray our characters.
20:38Do you think Netflix or OTT platforms that have come have given actors like you
20:44so much more exposure that perhaps otherwise the previous generation may not have had?
20:48And the kind of portrayal that you've been able to get,
20:51you've influenced with the myriad options that you've projected yourself.
20:54Do you think that's the new age formula also to reach out to audience much better?
21:00Oh, 100%.
21:01I mean, when I did start making content, I never thought of these doors opening up
21:05for content creators like me.
21:07I was quite surprised when the first few audition calls came in and I was just like, me?
21:14Luckily, the first one that I did audition, one of the first few ones that I did audition for
21:19ended up becoming mismatched.
21:21And that kind of gave me a huge, huge, for lack of a better word, launch into the madness.
21:28Also, I think what the whole digital boom that we got in our country a few years ago did was
21:33that
21:34it really democratized the whole thing, right?
21:36Like suddenly the barriers were not as high as they were before.
21:39Artists were not looked at as if they were a TV actor, if they were a film actor, if they
21:43were a film actor.
21:45So those things like it became one whole pool of content.
21:49And then all these industries kind of, there was a lot of cross-pollination.
21:52I think that's where I came in.
21:54That's where casting directors or writers or directors also even looked beyond what
21:58would have been a traditional approach for casting then.
22:01And I'm so grateful for that.
22:03I'm so grateful for, you know, to Akash Khurana for even thinking of me.
22:06And tell us about your role, you're Mrs. Reddy, I believe.
22:09I am, yes.
22:09Yeah, so tell us about that.
22:12Oh, can I just say, can I just tell you the story about the day that I did read about
22:16the show?
22:16Please go ahead.
22:17It was Onam Sadhya.
22:18I was at Mamma's friend Priyali's house and her father was in the Air Force.
22:23And another friend of Mamma's, her husband, Ulla's uncle, was in the army.
22:28And they both served during Kargil.
22:29And I was sitting between the two of them.
22:32And it's so funny because I knew I had a call.
22:35I had come down, they stay in the same building as us.
22:38I had come down for the meal saying, I'm going to come eat quickly.
22:42I have a call after this.
22:43And I sat down the whole, I was supposed to stay there for an hour.
22:46I stayed there for three hours only listening to these gentlemen tell me stories while we ate food.
22:52I finished this.
22:53I went up and when I, that was my call with Ani sir and Kushal sir and Abhijit.
22:58When they told me the story, I had goosebumps.
23:00I said, I said, the Air Force during Kargil?
23:04And he was like, yeah, that's the story.
23:05And I was like, I don't believe this because I was just having these conversations.
23:09Ullha's uncle actually knew squadron leader.
23:13It stops being a character.
23:14It evolves into so much more than you can comprehend when you go on set.
23:18So honestly, no matter how much I would tell myself before I walked on that set saying,
23:22you know, this is how I'm going to play it.
23:24That is how I'm going to play it.
23:25But you walk into that house where you have pictures of Baldi and Madhvi everywhere.
23:31You have a uniform hanging.
23:33You have a dabba kept there.
23:35There is no other thought that really you can compose for this then.
23:40Incredible.
23:40And that's what I was saying.
23:41I think each one of you has this story that you were destined to be playing this role.
23:46It's incredible what destiny has brought all of you together to play these roles.
23:51Mihir, my question to you would be from Archie's to now playing a soldier.
23:55How did you ensure that your previous baggage does not show here?
24:00Honestly, I don't believe there's a baggage as an actor.
24:04Like we start with a fresh slate every time.
24:07And I believe that like whenever I go to any set.
24:11Also Archie's, of course, it was the first one for everyone else.
24:14But I came in as a clean slate.
24:17Like, you know, I got to learn a lot from everyone.
24:19Because I think learning should never stop.
24:21And you get to learn.
24:22Because if you're open to learning, you can learn a lot from everyone.
24:26So yeah, there was no previous baggage.
24:28And this, I think this has been, I also said the same thing yesterday.
24:32This has been one of my best projects and best experiences so far.
24:36I think none of the projects can, you know, overpower this.
24:40The experience that I have gained while shooting for this.
24:43Because, as I said, the responsibility we all had while shooting and playing the real-life
24:50heroes was something really, really inspiring and like grateful.
24:54I'm really grateful for that.
24:55And yeah, as Prajikta was taking you through, like, you know what?
24:59She's playing Mrs. Malzvi Reddy.
25:03The first few days of the shoot were really, really special.
25:05And I'm so, so glad to be blessed with this, this amazing cast.
25:11Because every actor wishes for a, you know, good actor, more than a good actor,
25:15good human being opposite them.
25:17And I'm so glad I got to share screen space with all of them here.
25:20I want to end on a musical note.
25:22Taruk, I know you're a singer also.
25:24Come on, Abhay.
25:24Can you, or perhaps others would love to join in, sing something for us, if possible,
25:31from Operation Safedh Sagar or something that as a song that you all connect?
25:55Yeah, lovely. Thank you very much.
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