On the occasion of India's 80th Independence Day, actor Saif Ali Khan joined NDTV's special program Jai Jawan, which honors the Indian armed forces. Accompanied by NDTV's Meenakshi Kandwal, he traveled to Uri in Jammu and Kashmir, where he spent time with soldiers, learned how to make puris in an army cookhouse and shared a meal with the jawans.
In the compact cookhouse equipped with all the essentials needed for cooking, Saif remarked, “Actually, you just need a small fire to cook food.”
Speaking modestly about his culinary skills, the actor added, “While I am no super chef, I do spend a lot of time in the kitchen.”
He then tried his hand at making puris for the first time, taking lessons from an army jawan.
As he attempted to shape the dough, he ended up with uneven forms rather than perfect circles, resulting in a light-hearted and fun moment in the cookhouse.
The puris were then fried, after which Saif served them to the soldiers and joined them for lunch. The meal included dal, rice, puri and sabzi, accompanied by a side salad.
During his time in Uri, Saif also entertained the soldiers by playing the guitar.
He visited the Kaman Aman Setu on the Jhelum River, a bridge built by the Indian Army in just six hours.
A passionate cricket enthusiast, Saif Ali Khan also played cricket with the soldiers. “Cricket is another bonding sport. When you play with people, it makes you respect them on a different level. I had a lot of fun,” he said.
Dressed in a bulletproof jacket and traveling in a Casper vehicle, Saif Ali Khan trekked, tried his hand at shooting at a gun range and described the experience as “tiring” but exciting.
