Actor Abhay Verma has opened up about the visceral experience of sitting inside a decommissioned MiG-21 fighter jet while preparing for his role as Wing Commander Rajpal Singh Dhaliwal in the streaming series 'Operation Safed Sagar'. The show, released recently, dramatises the Indian Air Force's pivotal air campaign during the 1999 Kargil War.

Preparing for the Cockpit

Long before he climbed into an actual aircraft, Verma relied on an unconventional but methodical preparation. 'The makers had designed a cardboard mimicking the inside of the cockpit of a MiG-21. They sent it to our homes,' he said. He supplemented this with hours of YouTube content on the Indian Air Force, studying cadet training series to memorise the layout — throttle positions, fuel indicators, and instrument placement — until the surroundings felt instinctive.

The approach reflects a broader trend among Indian actors taking on military roles, where production teams increasingly invest in technical immersion to lend authenticity to on-screen portrayals of armed forces personnel.

The Real Thing: Claustrophobia and Awe

'But it doesn't really prepare you when you actually sit in a real jet,' Verma admitted. 'When you sit in a real jet you feel really claustrophobic. But you are also elated — what a machine this is. It is a beast, it is something that is meant to either kill or diminish something which has existed.'

He described the opportunity as rare and deeply affecting. 'To sit in a MiG-21 which has been decommissioned now was a great feeling. And I was one of few lucky ones to ever sit in it,' he said. The MiG-21, India's longest-serving fighter jet, was formally phased out of active IAF service in recent years after decades of frontline deployment.

About Operation Safed Sagar

Operation Safed Sagar was launched on 26 May 1999, targeting Pakistani positions entrenched on high-altitude peaks in the Kargil sector after initial ground advances met stiff resistance. Flying under strict orders not to cross the Line of Control, the Indian Air Force (IAF) deployed the MiG-27, MiG-21, Mirage 2000, and Mi-17 helicopters. Precision strikes by the Mirage 2000 destroyed enemy bunkers, supply routes, and logistics hubs, significantly weakening Pakistani defences and enabling Army troops to recapture strategic heights.

It was the first large-scale use of airpower in the Jammu and Kashmir region since the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 — a historical weight that Verma said was not lost on him during filming.

The Series and Its Significance

The streaming series is based on the combined arms operation in which the IAF provided critical support to Indian Army ground forces during the Kargil conflict. The operation is widely regarded as a turning point in the war, with precision air strikes credited for degrading Pakistani logistics and morale at altitude. Verma's portrayal of a wing commander places him at the centre of that narrative, a role he says demanded both physical and psychological preparation beyond conventional acting methods.

With the MiG-21 now retired and the Kargil War receding into history, productions like 'Operation Safed Sagar' serve as one of the few living bridges between a younger generation and one of modern India's most consequential military engagements.