Siddharth says he was “chosen by the universe” to play Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja in Operation Safed Sagar
Siddharth is receiving attention for his portrayal of Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja in Netflix’s Operation Safed Sagar. The actor has now opened up about the responsibility of portraying a real-life martyr, the extensive research behind the series and the support he received from Ahuja’s wife, Alka Ahuja, during his preparation for the role.
Siddharth revealed that he was initially cautious about taking on the role, particularly because he has generally avoided portraying real-life heroes. However, the research that went into Operation Safed Sagar and the involvement of the Indian Air Force, pilots and their families gave him confidence in the project.
“I was chosen by the universe to play Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja. I have never played real-life heroes, except in Rang De Basanti where I played Shaheed Bhagat Singh. 20 years after playing a martyr, to be chosen to play Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, explains why I was destined to play,” he said and mentioned that he usually does not like to play real-life heroes because of the way their lives are placed on commercial grounds.
He went on to add, “Having said that, I don’t like to approach real-life heroes; usually in India, we take the lives of martyrs, and we commercialise them for our own benefit to make money. I was worried before I signed Safed Sagar that this should have the intent that previous films have shown in this regard.”
The actor eventually decided to come on board after learning about the extensive groundwork undertaken for the series. “When they told me the entire research that had gone into the entire creation, six years of research, the complete blessing of the Indian Airforce and the personal accounts of real pilots, real heroes and their families, is what has gone into creating Operation Safed Sagar,” he revealed.
Siddharth also spoke about his experience of exploring Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja’s life, both as an officer and as an individual. “In terms of Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja’s life, he was a very inspiring man in the face of war and in peacetime. I have tremendously enjoyed the privilege of being allowed to discover and explore his life,” he added.
For his preparation, Siddharth said he primarily relied on the military research provided to him to understand Ahuja’s professional journey in the Indian Air Force, including his association with the Golden Arrows and Squadron 17. He went on to share, “Primarily, I have leaned only on the military research that was provided to me, which helps me to understand the beats that he had to follow when he was in the Indian Air Force and squadron leader of the Golden Arrows and Squadron 17.”
A significant part of his preparation came from Alka Ahuja, who not only gave him permission to portray her husband but also shared something deeply personal with the actor. “More importantly, his wife, Alka Ahuja, gave me not just the permission to play Ahuja sir but also gave me the spiritual understanding and strength I needed to wear his uniform and his shoes,” he shared.
Siddharth recalled writing to Alka during his preparation and asking whether she had any personal recordings or belongings of the late officer that could help him understand him better. “I am happy to share that I wrote to her when I started the preparation for the performance. I asked her, ‘Ma’am, can you send me any video or audio recordings?’ I know it was not common in 99 and before to have audio and video recordings of our lives the way it is today. I am sure today’s youngsters can’t even imagine a different time from what it is today. I also asked her if she could give me any personal artefacts, maybe shoelaces or a handkerchief.”
Alka’s response and the item she eventually sent became an important moment for Siddharth and the team. “She wrote back to me saying, ‘I don’t have any audio or video recordings, but whatever you create in Safed Sagar will be my memories of him going forward’. That broke the entire team and me for days. Alka Ma’am went a step further and sent me his flying patches known as Wings. Pilots consider them an extension of themselves. The wings are the badges you wear as an Airforce pilot. It is considered an extension of a pilot’s soul. That’s what she sent me to wear through the show.”
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Following the series’ release, Siddharth also shared a note on social media expressing his gratitude to the people involved in bringing Operation Safed Sagar to audiences. Alongside photographs with the cast and Alka Ahuja, he wrote, “Operation Safed Sagar – Truly grateful. This honour will stay with me forever. Thank you to each and every person who gave me the strength and understanding to be able to live up to this unbelievable privilege… The makers of OSS and my incredible co-actors and technicians. You have all my love,”
He also acknowledged Alka Ahuja’s support, adding, “Thank you ALKA Ma’am for letting me be a part of your family. Thank you Kamal ma’am and Tony Sir for your blessings and belief. I am completely overwhelmed. Sqdn Leader Ajay Ahuja Amar Rahe. Jai Hind.”
Operation Safed Sagar also stars Jimmy Shergill, Abhay Verma, Dia Mirza, Prajakta Koli, Adil Hussain, Mihir Ahuja, Taaruk Raina, Arnav Bhasin and Amrita Bagchi. Directed by Oni Sen, the series has been created by Abhijeet Singh Parmar and Kushal Srivastava and produced by Sanjay Routray and Sarita Patil of Matchbox Shots LLP, along with Mehboob Pal Singh Brar of Feel Good Films. The series premiered on Netflix on August 7.
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