IAF officers warned Operation Safed Sagar makers not to show them as heroes walking in slow-mo: 'We hate it' | Exclusive

Netflix’s Operation Safed Sagar has been one of the most acclaimed shows on Indian streaming this year. The aerial actioner on the Kargil War has earned praise for its visual effects, performances, and its deep dive into behind-the-scenes events during the war. But one thing that has stood out is the show’s realism and penchant to ‘keep it real’. In conversation with Hindustan Times, the show’s co-creator Abhijeet Singh Parmar and co-producer Mehboob Pal Singh Brar open up on why it was necessary and what inputs they took from actual Indian Air Force officers for it.

Co-producer Mehboob Pal Singh Brar adds that after the immense research and writing, which spanned over two years, he was certain about protecting the story’s ‘soul’. “The challenge was very different, and it's a short answer: I had to protect the soul of the show. Amidst the jets, the big bases, the massive peaks, the big houses, the big location, and the huge cast, on both sides of the story, we had to keep the focus on the emotions and human story.”

The creators add that the pilots and officers from the Indian Air Force were the biggest proponents of ‘keeping it real’. “We spoke to fighter pilots during the research and recce. Whoever we spoke to, they all said, ‘Keep it authentic, keep it real’,” recalls showrunner and co-writer Abhijeet Singh Parmar.

In fact, the Air Force pilots had some very specific advice and demands from the show’s team. As Abhijeet recalls some senior Indian Air Force officers telling him, “One thing which almost every fighter pilot we spoke to said: ‘Do not show us coming down from the plane in a full hero mode, walking in slow motion. We hate it.’ This was a constant thing for everyone because they say, ‘When you step out of a MiG-21, you are fully sweaty.’”

The Air Force officers informed the makers that pilots lose 1 kg after sorties and do not look glamorous at all when they walk out of their fighter jets. The makers tried to keep this aspect in the show by depicting the pilots as real human beings rather than cinematic heroes.

Operation Safed Sagar is based on the eponymous operation launched by the Indian Air Force during the Kargil War , which helped the Indian armed forces turn the tide against the Pakistani Army insurgents. The series focuses on the IAF's Golden Arrows squadron, which led daring missions at 30,000 feet above sea level.

The series stars Jimmy Shergill, Siddharth, Abhay Verma, Adil Hussain, Mihir Ahuja, Taaruk Raina, Arnav Bhasin, Amrita Bagchi, Dia Mirza and Prajakta Koli. It is currently streaming on Netflix.

Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age.