Siddharth reveals challenges of training for MiG cockpit in Operation Safed Sagar

Actor Siddharth revealed the rigorous preparation behind portraying an Indian Air Force pilot in Operation Safed Sagar, saying the cramped MiG cockpit, aviation terminology and disciplined communication made the role particularly demanding ahead of the Netflix series' August 7 premiere.

Mumbai: Actor Siddharth, who is gearing up for the release of his upcoming streaming series ‘Operation Safed Sagar’, shared the logistical details of his training for a fighter pilot in the show.

The series is based on the eponymous combined arms operation by the Indian Air Force, supporting elements of the Indian Army during the 1999 Kargil war that was aimed at flushing out regular and irregular troops of the Pakistani Army from vacated Indian Positions in the Kargil sector along the Line of Control.

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The actor, who essays the role of an Indian Airforce pilot in the show, spoke with IANS along with his co-actors Jimmy Shergill, Mihir Ahuja and Arnav Bhasin in the BKC area of Mumbai during the promotions of the series.

He told IANS, “The cockpit of a MiG. It’s very, very small. It’s smaller than this chair. So, you can only see this angle when you come forward. So, if you’re in the air, what will be your eyeline? It’s not like you can look down like this. What do you see from where? What is your eyeball movement? Everything was shown to us. Even the detailing of the words. What words you can use, because there’s no shouting in the air”.

He further mentioned, “Everything is said very clearly in a very short time. And maximum in English. And if there’s even one mistake, we won’t be allowed to okay the shot. So, they will come and correct it. So, the way we walk, the way we dress, everything is controlled”.

“So, the training is that. So, if you ask me, did I feel like I was flying? Not at all. Because we don’t have that training. We don’t belong in this kind. But I’ll tell you that we understood what goes behind it. The theory of it, I think all of us have understood. That’s the training. For me, the bigger training, and I’m sure Bhaji will also have a similar experience, we’ll tell you about it, was the human side”, he added.

The series is set to stream on August 7 on Netflix.