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Some would say patriotism is always a safe bet in cinema. But stories inspired by real events carry the responsibility of honouring those who lived them. Netflix's Operation Safed Sagar revisits a lesser-known chapter of the Kargil War, a conflict etched deeply in India's memory. Several stories have celebrated the sheer grit and ultimate sacrifice of the Indian defence forces in the Kargil War, and Operation Safed Sagar makes a proud entry to that list.

The year is 1999, and India is in the middle of the Kargil War. As the Indian Army launches Operation Vijay to reclaim mountain posts captured deceitfully by Pakistani soldiers on the orders of their then Army Chief Pervez Musharraf, an unforgiving battle unfolds across the icy peaks of Kargil, Dras, Batalik and Mushkoh.

Battling sub-zero temperatures, razor-sharp ridges and an enemy occupying higher ground, Indian soldiers continue pushing forward. Pakistani military, which its government claims are Mujahideens, use the extreme altitude to their advantage to survive the attacks by the Indian troops.

This is when the Indian Air Force enters the picture.

 

The No. 17 IAF Squadron Golden Arrows, led by then-Wing Commander BS Tony Dhanoa (Jimmy Shergill), is tasked with taking photographs of the enemy camps in the mountains, confirming exactly where Pakistani intruders had dug in.

Once the visuals make it clear that the intrusion is not a small band of Mujahideens but a large and organised invasion, that too just months after the historic peace talks between the two nations, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee authorises the IAF to carry out air strikes. However, there is one condition: the mission must stay within the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC), making the mission even more complex.

Thus begins Operation Safed Sagar!

Golden Arrows, under the leadership of Wing Commander Tony and Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja (Siddharth), has to carry out precision bombings on enemy camps from 20,000 feet using MiG-21 fighter aircraft. It is a battle where every sortie is a gamble. The odds are stacked against them, but backing down is never an option.

No other Air Force in the history of mankind fought a battle in such harsh conditions before and since.

Director Oni Sen's Operation Safed Sagar not only honours the unmatched courage of the members of the Golden Arrows but also explores them as individuals behind the uniforms. There is an instant connect with Flying Officer RS Dhaliwal aka Dhali (Abhay Verma), Flying Officer CH Bal Reddy aka Baldy (Mihir Ahuja), Flight Lieutenant Jitendra Sangwan aka Sangy (Taaruk Raina), and Flying Officer Amit Gupta aka Goofy (Arnav Bhasin) as they juggle personal challenges and eventually overcome them in order to serve their nation.

Their camaraderie and banter, as well as their bond with seniors Wing Commander Tony and Squadron Leader Ajay, make them feel like real people rather than larger-than-life war heroes. By the time they take to the skies for the most dangerous mission of their lives, you are no longer watching pilots carrying out military orders, you are rooting for individuals you have come to genuinely care about.

Sandeep Jain, Nikhil Jain, Barun Kashyap, and Abhijeet Singh Parmar's tight screenplay glues you in from the first act itself, never really losing the grip. The writers have done a commendable job of making the details of the missions easy to follow, a major USP of Operation Safed Sagar which elevates the overall impact.

As a viewer, you frown at the constant challenges faced by the Golden Arrows and feel an overwhelming sense of pride each time they come up with a new strategy. The very fact that our brave and brilliant pilots never gave up and successfully carried out a nearly impossible operation to enable the Indian Army to recapture the invaded peaks is enough to get up and give them a salute.

Operation Safed Sagar is one of those stories where collective performance matters more than individual ones. The Golden Arrows squad, Jimmy Shergill, Siddharth, Abhay Verma, Mihir Ahuja, Taaruk Raina, and Arnav Bhasin, put together an inspiring act to complement the storytelling. Adil Hussain as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) of the Western Air Command credibly fits the bill to supervise the Golden Arrows throughout their mission.

 

Amrita Bagchi, Dia Mirza, and Prajakta Koli, as the better halves of Squadron Leader Ajay, Wing Commander Tony, and Flying Officer Baldy, respectively, provide the needed emotional quotient. Their scenes remind us that every soldier's battle is also shared by families waiting anxiously back home.

Vinay Pathak as Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Manu Rishi Chadha as Pervez Musharraf deliver measured performances to balance the narrative.

Operation Safed Sagar is both a powerful and heartfelt tribute to the brave pilots of the Indian Air Force who played a defining role during the Kargil War. Instead of relying on loud patriotism, it lets real heroism speak for itself. And kudos to creators Abhijeet Singh Parmar and Kushal Srivastava for that. This one will go down as one of the most memorable patriotic stories in recent times. A must-watch ahead of the 79th Independence Day!