'Operation Safed Sagar': How director Oni Sen assembled perfect cast
What's the story
Netflix's war drama, Operation Safed Sagar, directed by Oni Sen, explores the 1999 Kargil War from a unique perspective. The six-episode series follows the Indian Air Force's Golden Arrows Squadron as they undertake perilous missions to reclaim mountain peaks. In a recent interview with Variety India, Sen discussed his casting choices, humanizing historical figures across borders, and what military personnel said during private Air Force screenings.
Casting insights
On casting the series
The chemistry among the Golden Arrows squadron is a major highlight of the series.
Sen said, "Overall, we wanted the casting to be reflecting the character and the character tones."
"Of course, some were based on real characters; for that, we were looking for the right faces and energy."
"Jimmy Sheirgill and Siddharth...were so good in reflecting Wg. Cdr. Tony Dhanoa and Sqd Ldr Ajay Ahuja, respectively, in a way that the camaraderie and balance of temperament worked out beautifully."
Character portrayal
On humanizing historical figures
Sen avoided portraying historical figures as one-dimensional villains.
He said, "That was a parameter I had right from the beginning, that we would play it real."
He explained his approach to characters like Pervez Musharraf and Nawaz Sharif, played by Manu Rishi Chadha and Vinay Pathak respectively.
"With Manu Rishi as Pervez Musharraf, his entire thing was obsession, that nothing could stop him. It's not because he wants to be evil; he's just obsessed."
Editing challenges
On editing the series down to 6 episodes
Sen had to make tough decisions while editing the series, which was originally written for eight episodes.
He said, "We had to be realistic about budgets. We brought it down to six episodes, which was an emotional, but not necessarily wise decision."
"Putting it together, we realized that the episodes were turning out an hour and a half long... To keep up pace, we had to curtail tracks, which was heartbreaking."
Pilot insights
On his experience with IAF pilots
Sen was surprised by the simplicity of IAF pilots.
He said, "Their life was 30,000 or 40,000 feet in the air at a risky moment, bringing upon a certain youthful spirituality."
"In Nal, shooting with the MiG-21 squadron... Every time I saw them, I felt a spiritual bonding between man and machine. The way he touched the jet was almost like touching your horse before a walk."
"We built that little pause, that closure of eyes into the show."
Audience feedback
On defense personnel's reaction to the series
Sen was anxious about how defense personnel would react to the series.
He said, "I was worried if we underplayed or overplayed our hand and lost authenticity."
"What was beautiful is when we watched Episode 1 with the Air Force family, I heard chuckles at the right places. After it got over, they said it was the first time they felt represented the right way."
The show also stars Dia Mirza, Abhay Verma, and Mihir Ahuja.