Siddharth gets emotional at Operation Safed Sagar trailer launch: ‘Heroes don't look like heroes'

Siddharth at Operation Safed Sagar trailer launch. Pic via Yogen Shah

The makers finally unveiled the much-awaited trailer of the upcoming series, Operation Safed Sagar, which is based on the untold story of the Indian Air Force's role and the Golden Arrows squadron during the 1999 Kargil War. Headlined by Siddharth and Jimmy Shergill, the series revolves around the bravery and martyrdom of real-life heroes, Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja and Wing Commander B.S. Dhanoa ‘Tony', respectively.

Siddharth gets emotional at Operation Safed Sagar trailer launch

Actor Siddharth, who attended the event with a sling around his hand, recalled his first reaction to Operation Safed Sagar. He shared, "I think Oni (Sen) and Abhijit (Singh Parmar) met me and we had this conversation. My first reaction was hesitation because there's a way that heroes are depicted in our entertainment and specifically our martyrs. Firstly, I feel that they're not here to defend or accept the portrayal that you're portraying of them. So I find that difficult. It's easier to play a fictional character. And secondly, the moment you know someone is a martyr, we tend to sterilise them, we tend to whitewash them, we tend to make them one certain kind of person; none of us is like that. And heroes don't look like heroes. They are heroes because of their actions."

He added, "So, I was scared that I didn't want to do injustice to somebody's memory. And so it took a lot of discussion with Abhijit and Oni and Kushal and everybody who made this show, that we always stayed true to the integrity of a great man's memory and a soldier's story. Like I said, I asked only one question after that, which is, 'Did she allow it?'"

Later, Siddharth thanked Alka Ahuja, the wife of martyred Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, whose role he plays in the series, saying, "On behalf of everyone, thank you so much for letting us make this. We wouldn't have done it without your permission."

Alka responded, saying, "Thanks to you, in fact, now I will see. I don't have any videos of Ajay; all I have is an image of him," which made Siddharth emotional as he was seen battling tears.

Siddharth opens up about his arm injury

When asked about what happened to his hand, Siddharth playfully revealed, "I had a small operation, nothing else. Just regular wear and tear, old age they call it."

Operation Safed Sagar is created by Abhijeet Singh Parmar and Kushal Srivastava, and directed by Oni Sen. Written by Sandeep Jain, Nikhil Ravi, and Barun Kashyap, the series stars Siddharth, Jimmy Shergill, Abhay Verma, Dia Mirza, Prajakta Koli, Adil Hussain, Mihir Ahuja, Taaruk Raina, Arnav Bhasin, and Amrita Bagchi.