Mumbai, August 9, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Actor Siddharth, who plays a fighter pilot in the recently released streaming series Operation Safed Sagar, has opened up about his experience of working alongside Indian Air Force pilots during the making of the show.
Speaking to IANS during the series’ promotions in Mumbai’s BKC area alongside co-stars Jimmy Shergill, Mihir Ahuja and Arnav Bhasin, Siddharth said the IAF provided the team with an experience that went far beyond acting.
“The Air Force also gave us so much. Just imagine you are actually doing your pre-flight check on an actual MiG-21 before it was retired. So we were the last to get our hands on those machines,” he said.
The actor added that real IAF pilots were involved in flying the aircraft used during the production.
“Our crew has actually had pilots from the Indian Air Force fly MiGs in short. Land MiGs, take-off MiGs. Who gets all this? So at that time, if you want to act as a pilot, if you don’t even do that, then, brother, something is very wrong,” Siddharth said.
Operation Safed Sagar is based on the Indian Air Force’s eponymous operation during the 1999 Kargil War, when the IAF provided air support to Indian Army troops battling Pakistani forces and irregulars who had occupied positions along the Line of Control.
Launched on May 26, 1999, the operation marked the first large-scale deployment of air power in the Jammu and Kashmir region since the 1971 India-Pakistan war.
Operating under strict instructions not to cross the Line of Control, the IAF deployed aircraft including the MiG-27, MiG-21, Mirage 2000 and Mi-17 helicopters. Mirage 2000 aircraft carried out precision strikes against enemy positions, bunkers and supply lines, significantly supporting the Army’s efforts to recapture strategic heights.
The series is currently streaming on Netflix.
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