Abhay Verma recalls getting emotional while wearing an Air Force uniform for Operation Safed Sagar: “I got teary-eyed”
As the release of Operation Safed Sagar draws closer, Abhay Verma has spoken about the emotional experience of portraying an Indian Air Force officer in the upcoming Netflix series. The actor, who essays the role of Flying Officer Rajpal Singh Dhaliwal, reflected on the responsibility of wearing the uniform and revealed that he became emotional the first time he put it on.
Speaking about his character, Abhay described Rajpal Singh Dhaliwal as someone whose personality was vastly different from his own. He said, “My character’s name is Rajpal Singh Dhaliwal. He was a flying officer, a truly remarkable one, whom we lost in Suryakiran. He was a very brave flying officer, a man of very few words, which is very opposite to me, honestly. So, it was a different experience.”
The actor went on to explain how wearing the Air Force uniform changed the way he approached even the simplest routines on set. Unlike an ordinary costume, he said the uniform carried a sense of responsibility and reverence. “Normally, what you do is you just take off your costume, your jeans and shirt or whatever you’re wearing, keep it there, and then go home.” He added, “You realise how carefully you unzip it, take your arms out, and then lay it down nicely. It’s as if it is much bigger, as if it’s a holy book, it’s the Gita, it’s the Quran. It is that,” he added.
Abhay also spoke about the significance of authentically portraying an Air Force officer on screen, saying the uniform commanded immense respect. He went on to share, “And even when it comes to the slightest bit of authenticity, you don’t want to go wrong. You respect it even more than yourself.”
Recalling the first time he wore the uniform, the actor admitted that the moment left him overwhelmed with emotion. “I can’t forget I got teary-eyed when I wore it for the first time. That was really an elated moment, like the feeling you get when the national anthem is being played during your school days,” he revealed.
Reflecting on the deeper meaning behind the role, he added, “If you know the meaning of the national anthem, then you will see it differently. As far as the overalls and the G-suit are concerned, when you know the meaning of the Air Force and the role they play, which Operation Vijay will tell you in the nicest and most authentic way, then you will really realise what these overalls and this G-suit mean to me.”
Abhay further acknowledged how privileged he felt to portray an Air Force officer, while recognising the years of dedication required by those who wear the uniform in real life. “I was thinking about how few and how fortunate those people are who get the opportunity to wear this uniform after working so hard for it, whereas we get that opportunity by giving an audition. But even for that audition, you have to give a hundred auditions before you become worthy of it,” he mentioned.
The actor also shared one of the highlights of filming, revealing that he had the opportunity to sit inside a real MiG-21 fighter aircraft. “It was a truly amazing experience sitting in a real MiG-21, something that no civilian can even sit in anymore,” he concluded, adding that he was once again moved to tears by the experience.
Directed by Oni Sen, Operation Safed Sagar has been created by Abhijeet Singh Parmar and Kushal Srivastava. Produced by Sanjay Routray and Sarita Patil of Matchbox Shots LLP along with Mehboob Pal Singh Brar of Feel Good Films, the series features Siddharth, Jimmy Shergill, Abhay Verma, Dia Mirza, Prajakta Koli, Adil Hussain, Mihir Ahuja, Taaruk Raina, Arnav Bhasin and Amrita Bagchi. The series premieres on August 7 exclusively on Netflix.
The post Abhay Verma recalls getting emotional while wearing an Air Force uniform for Operation Safed Sagar: “I got teary-eyed” appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.