“I Was Chosen by the Universe”: Siddharth Reflects on Playing Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja in ‘Operation Safed Sagar’

Two decades after playing Bhagat Singh in ‘Rang De Basanti’, the actor opens up about stepping into the uniform of a real-life martyr, his initial reservations, and receiving the late officer’s flying wings.

Siddharth is currently basking in all the love pouring in for his latest Netflix release, Operation Safed Sagar. As the series continues to win over viewers, Siddharth says he felt destined to play Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, and recalled that one of the most emotional moments of his preparation happened when Ahuja’s wife, Alka Ahuja, sent him the officer’s flying wings. For Siddharth, it turned out to be the strength he needed to dive into the role.

The actor mentions that he was quite mindful about stepping into the shoes of a real-life martyr. However, he was reassured by the vast research behind the show, along with the involvement of the Indian Air Force, pilots, and their families.

“I was chosen by the universe to play Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja. I have never played real-life heroes, except in Rang De Basanti where I played Shaheed Bhagat Singh. 20 years after playing a martyr, to be chosen to play Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja explains why I was destined to play this role,” he shares.

Initial Reservations & The Integrity of the Project

Siddharth admits he usually avoids playing real-life heroes because of how their lives are often commercialized.

“Having said that, I don’t like to approach real-life heroes; usually in India, we take the lives of martyrs, and we commercialise them for our own benefit to make money. I was worried before I signed Safed Sagar that this should have the intent that previous films have shown in this regard.”

Mentioning that it was the project’s scale and authenticity that convinced him to come onboard, he continues:

“When they told me the entire research that had gone into the creation—six years of research, the complete blessing of the Indian Air Force and the personal accounts of real pilots, real heroes and their families—that is what has gone into creating Operation Safed Sagar.”

“In terms of Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja’s life, he was a very inspiring man in the face of war and in peacetime. I have tremendously enjoyed the privilege of being allowed to discover and explore his life,” he adds.

Deep Military Research & A Priceless Keepsake

Speaking of the preparation required to understand Ajay Ahuja’s trajectory within the Indian Air Force and as a key part of the Golden Arrows (17 Squadron), he explains:

“Primarily, I have leaned only on the military research that was provided to me, which helped me understand the beats that he had to follow when he was in the Indian Air Force and squadron leader of the Golden Arrows.”

He also emphasized how Alka Ahuja’s support came front and center in his approach towards the role:

“More importantly, his wife, Alka Ahuja, gave me not just the permission to play Ahuja sir, but also gave me the spiritual understanding and strength I needed to wear his uniform and his shoes.”

“I am happy to share that I wrote to her when I started the preparation for the performance. I asked her, ‘Ma’am, can you send me any video or audio recordings? I know it was not common in ’99 and before to have audio and video recordings of our lives the way it is today. I am sure today’s youngsters can’t even imagine a different time from what it is today.’ I also asked her if she could give me any personal artefacts, maybe shoelaces or a handkerchief.”

Siddharth recalls receiving a reply that profoundly impacted the entire team:

“She wrote back to me saying, ‘I don’t have any audio or video recordings, but whatever you create in Safed Sagar will be my memories of him going forward.’ That broke the entire team and me for days. Alka Ma’am went a step further and sent me his flying patches known as Wings. Pilots consider them an extension of themselves—an extension of a pilot’s soul. That’s what she sent me to wear through the show.”

About the Series

The ensemble cast of Operation Safed Sagar features Siddharth alongside Jimmy Shergill, Abhay Verma, Dia Mirza, Prajakta Koli, Adil Hussain, Mihir Ahuja, Taaruk Raina, Arnav Bhasin, and Amrita Bagchi. Directed by Oni Sen, the series was created by Abhijeet Singh Parmar and Kushal Srivastava, and produced by Sanjay Routray and Sarita Patil of Matchbox Shots LLP alongside Mehboob Pal Singh Brar of Feel Good Films.

Operation Safed Sagar is currently streaming exclusively on Netflix.

By Keerti Kadam