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Operation Safed Sagar: A Soaring Tribute to Tactical Brilliance
There is a new Netflix show called 'Operation Safed Sagar' about pilots in India's Air Force during a war in 1999 called the Kargil War, which was fought between India and Pakistan high in the mountains.
The show follows a squadron called the Golden Arrows, whose pilots are very young and whose planes are old.
Their commander, Tony Dhanoa, brings in an experienced pilot named Ajay Ahuja to train the young flyers.
Together the pilots learn to trust each other and come up with clever ideas to win using only what they already have.
The story also shows the leaders of India and Pakistan trying to make peace, while Pakistan's army chief, Pervez Musharraf, secretly sends soldiers to start a fight instead.
The show imagines private meetings in Pakistan and America, and some reviewers think those scenes feel fake.
Reviewers love the flying scenes and the acting, but some think the love stories and family scenes distract from the action.
Other reviewers say the show is a respectful tribute to brave pilots who did dangerous jobs.
The show has six episodes and is streaming on Netflix.
Netflix's six-episode Hindi limited series 'Operation Safed Sagar' dramatises the Indian Air Force's role in the 1999 Kargil War, centring on the Golden Arrows Squadron.
Based on actual events and real individuals, the show was created by Abhijeet Singh Parmar and Kushal Srivastava, directed by Oni Sen, and made with inputs from India's Defence Ministry.
Siddharth plays Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja and Jimmy Shergill plays commanding officer Wing Commander Tony Dhanoa, with young pilots played by Abhay Verma, Taaruk Raina, Mihir Ahuja and Arnav Bhasin.
The series shows Pakistan Army chief Pervez Musharraf sending soldiers disguised as jihadist fighters across the Line of Control, undermining Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's peace moves with Indian PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Reviewers praise the aerial combat scenes, acting and professional restraint, but call the imagined backroom politics in Islamabad and Washington DC 'ludicrous' and note the balance between strategy and emotion is uneven.
- Who
- Indian Air Force pilots of the Golden Arrows Squadron, including commanding officer Tony Dhanoa (Jimmy Shergill) and Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja (Siddharth), along with young pilots Dhali (Abhay Verma), Baldy, Sangy and Goofy; political figures include Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Nawaz Sharif and Pervez Musharraf. Reviews differ on whether Goofy is played by Mihir Ahuja or Arnav Bhasin.
- What
- A six-episode Netflix limited series recounting the Indian Air Force's contribution to the 1999 Kargil War, including missions under the real Operation Safed Sagar.
- Where
- India and Pakistan, across the Himalayan Line of Control, with dramatised scenes set in Islamabad and Washington DC.
- When
- The Kargil War was fought in 1999; the series was released on Netflix in 2026, ahead of India's Independence Day.
- Why
- To honour the Indian Air Force's valour, sacrifice and tactical brilliance, which helped alter the course of a conflict threatening to go in Pakistan's favour.
Admirers of the tribute
Critics of creative licence
Fidelity versus dramatic licence
Admirers of the tribute
The series is an all-but-official chronicle of high-flying valour, made with inputs from and scrutiny by India's Defence Ministry, and presents IAF ethos, procedure and radio discipline with care.
Critics of creative licence
The makers exercise maximum creative licence by imagining backroom politics in Islamabad and Washington DC, an inside knowledge that borders on the ludicrous.
Value of emotional sub-plots
Admirers of the tribute
Family storylines reveal the unique dynamic that exists among the armed forces and their families, exposing the hearts beneath the uniforms and adding humane storytelling.
Critics of creative licence
The wives-and-romance sub-plots are distractions from the thrilling aerial combat missions, and the balance between cold strategy and fuzzy emotions is not smooth.
Overall verdict
Admirers of the tribute
A razor-sharp war drama that balances military jargon and humane storytelling without chest-thumping or bloodlust, lifted by professional, purposeful performances.
Critics of creative licence
The show rarely looks beyond heroism, leaves emotional and moral complexity unexplored, and relies on repetitive mission cycles; it could easily have been a tighter film.
Key facts
- Series
- Operation Safed Sagar
- Platform
- Netflix
- Format
- Hindi limited series, 6 episodes
- Director
- Oni Sen
- Created by
- Abhijeet Singh Parmar and Kushal Srivastava
- Cast
- Siddharth, Jimmy Shergill, Abhay Verma, Vinay Pathak, Manu Rishi Chadha, Adil Hussain, Dia Mirza, Prajakta Koli, Taaruk Raina, Barun Sobti, Amrita Bagchi
- Setting
- Kargil War, 1999; Indian Air Force's Golden Arrows Squadron
- Basis
- Actual events and real individuals, with inputs from India's Defence Ministry
Quotes
Michelle Obama
Former First Lady of the United States
“"When they go low, we go high"”
NDTV
“"No fight before a sortie"”
NDTV
Sources
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