Siddharth shares details of his pilot training for 'Operation Safed Sagar'
Mumbai, July 31
Actor Siddharth, who is gearing up for the release of his upcoming streaming series 'Operation Safed Sagar', has shared insights into his pilot training for the series.
The series is based on the eponymous combined arms operation by the Indian Air Force, supporting elements of the Indian Army during the 1999 Kargil war that was aimed at flushing out regular and irregular troops of the Pakistani Army from vacated Indian Positions in the Kargil sector along the Line of Control.
The actor, who essays the role of an Indian Airforce pilot in the show, spoke with IANS along with his co-actors Jimmy Shergill, Mihir Ahuja and Arnav Bhasin in the BKC area of Mumbai during the promotions of the series.
Talking about his training for his part in the show, Siddharth told IANS, "Every detail was recreated by the production design team. The flight was installed on a hydraulic gear. So, all of us did the flight sequences in the first and second roles. This is my first experience of shooting for a project based on the air force. This way of shooting, I have never shot before. So, you sit in the cockpit, you are in full gear, including the G-suit. The canopy is closed sometimes, or it's open. And the whole plane banks at the actual speed of a jet plane".
He further mentioned, "It works on a computer program. So, you have to control it. So, you have to go in the exact direction at the exact speed that it's doing it. Otherwise, your head will hit because you will be moving in the opposite direction. So, this takes time. It was a very difficult shoot for me. It was very, very challenging. I'm sure, I've discussed it with the boys as well. We all had a lot of challenges while doing these sequences. So, the training was to make sure that you don't do anything wrong in any sequence or situation.
It was the first large-scale use of airpower in the Jammu and Kashmir region since the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
The series is set to stream on August 7 on Netflix.
— IANS
Reader Comments
The hydraulic rig and G-suit training sounds intense! Siddharth talking about how the computer controls the movement and how you have to match it exactly—that's real focus. Hats off to the entire team for taking this seriously. Our soldiers deserve such authentic portrayals.
Great to see Indian OTT platforms investing in war dramas with this level of detail. The Kargil war is something every Indian should know about. Looking forward to August 7! But I hope they also show the human cost of war, not just the action sequences.
As someone who isn't Indian but follows military history, it's fascinating to see the technical preparation actors go through. The pilot training stories remind me of how Tom Cruise prepared for Top Gun. This looks like a high-production-value series. Will definitely stream it!
It's touching that they're honouring the 1999 Kargil operation. My grandfather served in the Indian Army, and stories like these make me proud. But I also hope the series takes time to highlight the human stories of the families back home, not just the heroics in the air. That's what makes war real.
It's great that Indian cinema is telling its own war stories with such technical precision. The description of the hydraulic flight simulator sounds state-of-the-art. Looking forward to seeing this, it's an important story for the world to know about as well.
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