Netflix’s Operation Safed Sagar makers were asked by Indian Air Force pilots to avoid the usual cinematic portrayal of fighter pilots as larger-than-life heroes. Showrunner and co-writer Abhijeet Singh Parmar said pilots repeatedly told the team to keep their portrayal authentic, even objecting to scenes of them walking away from fighter jets in slow motion.

The series, which revisits the Indian Air Force’s role in the 1999 Kargil War, was developed after years of research. According to , the makers conducted around 100 hours of interviews with fighter pilots who had served during the conflict and travelled to locations at altitudes of up to 16,700 feet while recreating the world of the pilots.

Speaking to , Parmar and co-producer Mehboob Pal Singh Brar explained how their conversations with IAF personnel influenced the series and its approach to realism.

Story continues below this ad

What IAF pilots told Operation Safed Sagar makers

Parmar said the pilots they met during the research and recce were clear about how they wanted to be represented.

“We spoke to fighter pilots during the research and recce. Whoever we spoke to, they all said, ‘Keep it authentic, keep it real’,” he said.

The pilots were particularly opposed to the familiar Bollywood-style treatment of fighter pilots emerging from their aircraft in slow motion.

“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.’”

Story continues below this ad

According to the makers, the pilots also told them that they could lose around 1 kg after sorties. Such details helped the team portray them as exhausted professionals rather than polished action heroes.

Operation Safed Sagar makers focused on the human story

The project was initially conceived as a film about the Golden Arrows, the IAF squadron involved in the Kargil conflict. However, the scale of the research eventually convinced the makers that the story needed more room and was better suited to a series.

The research included around 100 hours of conversations with pilots who had participated in the war. The writing process also expanded considerably, with the team developing a 200-page beat sheet.

Story continues below this ad

Brar said the scale of the war could not be allowed to overshadow the people at its centre.

“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 also chose to establish the characters before moving into the central conflict, with the war beginning only in the third episode of the six-part series.

IAF’s ‘Vijeta’ benchmark for the series

The Indian Air Force also had a benchmark for how it wanted to be represented on screen. According to Brar, the makers were pointed towards the 1982 film Vijeta and told to match or surpass its standard.

Story continues below this ad

“They said you have to be as good as it, if not better. That is why we are opening the world to you,” Brar recalled.

The makers also shot across 11 locations over 18 months, including high-altitude locations in Himachal Pradesh. Some portions were filmed at around 16,700 feet, while the production also received access to IAF bases and MiG aircraft.

The high-altitude shoot presented its own challenges, with medical support, ambulances and physiotherapists kept on standby. The team also transported rocks to recreate military sangars at the locations.

What is Operation Safed Sagar about?

Operation Safed Sagar is based on the Indian Air Force’s role in the Kargil War and focuses on the Golden Arrows squadron and its missions during the conflict. The series combines the aerial combat and military operations with the personal stories of the officers and pilots involved.

Story continues below this ad

The cast includes Jimmy Shergill, Siddharth, Abhay Verma, Adil Hussain, Mihir Ahuja, Taaruk Raina, Arnav Bhasin, Amrita Bagchi, Dia Mirza and Prajakta Koli. Operation Safed Sagar is streaming on Netflix.