There are countless untold stories of our soldiers who fought on different fronts to keep the country safe, and this show is about one of them! A lesser-known saga from the 1999 Kargil War between India and Pakistan becomes the premise of Netflix’s new show, Operation Safed Saga. It brings us the story of our fearless Indian Air Force and its tactical role in India’s victory. Created by Abhijeet Singh Parmar and Kushal Srivastava, the show stars Siddharth, Jimmy Shergill, Dia Mirza, Prajakta Koli, and Abhay Verma in pivotal roles. Inspired by real-life events, the series is efficient in most parts, with gripping moments but occasionally has some obvious clichés! Read our review to know more about it.
Plot
Over the span of six episodes, Operation Safed Sagar takes us through some important events in the Kargil War, keeping our Indian Air Force at the centre. The show focuses on the wit, bravery and sacrifices of the Golden Arrows Squadron of the Indian Air Force who took on the riskiest mission to win back India’s highest peak during the war, illegally captured by the Pakistani troops. This victory gave India an upper hand in the war. The show sheds light on the diplomatic relations of India and Pakistan with other nations, while also portraying layers of interpersonal emotions among the characters. Jimmy Shergill, Siddharth, Abhay Verma, Mihir Ahuja, Taaruk Raina, and Arnav Bhasin play the Air Force officers, while Dia Mirza, Prajakta Koli, and Amrita Bagchi play the strong characters of an Air Force Officer’s wife.
Story, Execution
Shows based on real-life events are meant to educate, entertain and evoke emotions. Operation Safed Sagar ticks the three boxes, with some loopholes and cliches, of course. From the third episode, the show becomes interesting when it focuses less on making it dramatic and gets deeper into the hurdles that the Golden Arrows Squadron overcomes with their strategies. The show strikes a balance between the action and diplomatic tensions between countries, while also showcasing how the first-world countries responded to the war. Operation Safed Sagar’s story also becomes engaging with how it blends emotions into this saga of bravery, making us feel for our Indian Air Force who fought against all the odds to contribute to India’s victory. The best part about this show is that while it primarily focuses on the fight put up by our Indian Air Force, it does not forget to incorporate the story of the fearless Indian Army who fought on the ground. And the screenplay effectively blends the two narratives to create an impact!
The first two episodes are dragged to create some emotional connection with the audience; however, it fails to establish that due to weak writing.
Performances
Siddharth as Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja is extremely convincing. He carries the calm demeanour throughout with a sense of resilience that his role demanded. The actor plays a real-life hero, and he does justice to remind us about Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja’s bravery. Jimmy Shergill as Wing Commander BS Dhanoa also leaves a strong impact with his on-screen presence in portraying the Air Force Officer. Abhay Verma shines in some moments as Flying Officer RS Dhaliwal. Taruk Raina, Arnav Bhasin and Mihir Ahuja also deliver impressive performances. Amrita Bagchi as Ajay Ahuja’s wife delivers a nuanced performance that touches various layers of emotions felt by an Air Force Officer’s wife. Dia Mirza is memorable in the short screen time she gets, and Prajakta Koli also delivers a decent performance. Anjan Srivastava is absolutely top-notch in the portrayal of India’s former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Can’t Get Over Cliches!
Operation Safed Sagar is rooted in the logistics and details of this untold story, but it occassionally deviates from the seriousness of its own story with some very strikingly poorly-executed scenes. One of them is when a Pakistani General meets with the Chinese Officials to discuss Pakistan and China’s diplomatic relations during the Kargil War. The scene feels rushed into the show and looks caricaturish. While the female stars in the show have done a good job with their roles, the female characters and their dynamics in the story are not given justice, or are nothing more than what we have already seen in other similar shows or movies.
However, it does avoid one cliché, which is the portrayal of Pakistani officials and their Army. It does not take the obvious route of jingoism and sticks to the more real aspects, facts of the story and the characters.
Action
Some visuals of the Air strikes and aerial action are impressive, and they keep you on the edge because you are equally rooting for the Air Force to win! So they are immersive, but could it be better? Of course!
Verdict
Operation Safed Sagar is a decent and interesting watch for most parts. The show is well executed, leaving us with strong takeaways by telling an important story from Indian history. The performances are impressive, although the pacing feels slow initially and includes some familiar tropes, which doesn’t bother us much!