The Making of Operation Safed Sagar: How director Oni Sen turned a war epic into an intimate human story
When Oni Sen was first approached to direct Operation Safed Sagar, Netflix India’s highly acclaimed military action series, he was initially skeptical about taking on the job, precisely because of its enormous scale. The show had all the ingredients of a sprawling war drama, fighter jets, aerial combat, military operations and the India-Pakistan conflict. However, what ultimately drew him in was not the scale but the human story underneath the combat.
“Spectacle alone has never been enough to move me. Throughout my career across advertising films and long-format storytelling, I have always tried to focus on the raw, intricate spectrum of human emotion. Stories are only as powerful as the feelings they evoke,” says Sen in an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama.
Coming off the back of two seasons of Asur, Sen needed a project that would demand something entirely different from him a completely new canvas to explore. Although he was initially skeptical, everything shifted when creator Abhijeet Singh Parmar began walking him through the details of the script and his vision. Beneath the backdrop of warfare lay an extraordinarily rich tapestry of human experience. He realised this wasn’t just a story about a war fought on borders; it was about the silent, devastating wars fought within ourselves. It was a study in brotherhood, deep love, crushing loss and quiet longing. It was about raw anger, the painful theft of innocence and the unbelievable strength it takes to rise from the ashes of grief. It dug into the darkest corners obsession, greed, deceit, betrayal and total helplessness while holding up a mirror to the quiet vulnerability present in even the toughest of heroes.
“The moment I saw that core, my mandate as a director became crystal clear: my job wasn’t just to depict events but to make the audience feel every single one of those emotions right alongside our characters. I knew that this was the story I would love to tell,” reveals Sen.
That philosophy eventually became the guiding principle behind what’s arguably Netflix India’s most ambitious production in its 10 years of existence. The show was mounted on an unusually large scale. Hundreds of people were interviewed for research, real IAF officers were consulted throughout its making, and real aircraft were used for ground sequences, while the aerial combat sequences were carefully pre-visualised and reviewed by aviation experts. The shooting ran for 115 days across 11 cities and more than 100 locations, including real operational Indian Air Force bases.
But getting the scale right was only one part of the challenge. In a series filled with MiG-21s, high-altitude sorties and technical operations, Sen and his team ensured that the pilots, officers and their families remained the emotional centre.
“There is a core philosophy that I believe in: thrill is temporary, but feeling is forever,” says the director. “A grand spectacle might hold an audience’s attention for a moment, but it is the emotional resonance that would eventually leave a mark. From the very beginning, I knew that while our aerial and ground combat and high-stakes drama had to be executed with flawless precision and technical perfection, those were actually the backdrop. The series will be loved and remembered only because of its human stories and emotions.”
Therefore, from the writing stage, every action sequence was built around an emotional anchor, and every tactical decision had to stem from a character’s internal struggle, vulnerability or sacrifice. “The question always was, ‘How is this moment or scene affecting the character emotionally?’ By grounding the epic scale of the story in quiet, deeply personal human truths, we aimed to create something that doesn’t just entertain viewers in the moment but truly lives in their hearts.”
To authentically portray real IAF officers and political figures, the actors underwent an extensive preparation process that went far beyond traditional rehearsals. Long before shooting began, Sen spent long hours in deep conversation with the actors, discussing every character’s internal world, their backstories and the weight they carried within the larger scope of the story.
“I worked closely with each actor to map out their character’s emotional graph across the entire series, carefully calibrating their psychological trajectory from scene to scene. We debated every choice — the pitch of a line, the physical projection of authority, and the subtle, unspoken beats — striking a delicate balance where the performances remained grounded, human and authentic while still carrying the quiet power needed to elevate the onscreen drama,” the director reveals.
Sen and his team have indeed succeeded in getting the emotions and authenticity right, as Operation Safed Sagar has emerged as one of the successful titles for Netflix India. The show has received widespread love and acclaim for authentically bringing to life the untold chapter of the 1999 Kargil war — a historic, high-altitude mission that altered the course of the India-Pakistan War. More importantly for Sen and his team, the series has received appreciation from Indian Air Force personnel and veterans for its portrayal of the people who lived through the conflict and the professional and personal challenges they faced.
“Through the making of the series, while we have spent a lot of time getting the craft right, we have tried our best to be authentic. Authentic in staging, in the science of flying, in the nuances of the Air Force, and in the tone of storytelling. I have worked hard to keep the performances restrained, poignant, and quiet, trusting that real human emotion doesn’t need to shout to be felt.”
To see that trust repaid so generously has been deeply moving, says Sen.
“The response since the series was released has been overwhelming in the most beautiful, humbling way imaginable. We’ve received messages from viewers across every generation and every corner of the country. Perhaps most meaningfully, the feedback from Indian Air Force personnel and veterans — who recognised their own world, their subtle dignity, and the genuine depth of their experiences on screen — has touched us beyond measure. Knowing that our dedication to truth resonated so deeply with both the public and the very officers who lived this history is the ultimate reward,” the director shares.
With Operation Safed Sagar turning out to be another success after the much-loved Asur, Oni Sen now finds himself at an interesting juncture in his career. But rather than immediately rushing into his next project, the filmmaker wants to take a break, and deservingly so, before deciding what he wants to explore next. However, Sen promises one thing: regardless of the scale of his next project, the human story will continue to be his starting point.
“Right now, I need to give myself a little time and space to process everything, to decompress, and to eventually figure out what I will do next. But if there is one thing this experience has reinforced for me, it’s where my heart truly lies as a storyteller. Whatever project I take on next won’t be defined by the size of the canvas, the budget, or the sheer scale of the spectacle. It will always come back to human stories and human emotions — the quiet, intimate truths that connect us all,” Sen signs off.
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