Abhay Verma on Operation Safed Sagar: 'World peace needs empathy, not bombs'
Synopsis
Abhay Verma plays a Wing Commander in a Kargil War series — but off screen, his message is strikingly different from the battlefield. In a candid conversation after the show's release, he argued that if every person could step into another's shoes, wars would give way to conversations. It is a rare moment of philosophical reflection from an actor steeped in one of India's most intense military operations.
Key Takeaways
Abhay Verma plays Wing Commander Rajpal Singh Dhaliwal in the streaming series 'Operation Safed Sagar' .
Verma says empathy and perspective-taking are the most effective tools against human violence and war.
He praised soldiers for protecting people they have never met, calling it a 'heroic' act of selflessness. 'Operation Safed Sagar' is based on the real Indian Air Force operation during the 1999 Kargil War in the Kargil sector along the Line of Control .
The operation was the first large-scale use of airpower in Jammu and Kashmir since the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 .
Actor Abhay Verma, who portrays Wing Commander Rajpal Singh Dhaliwal in the streaming series 'Operation Safed Sagar', says he is deeply opposed to violence, wars, and armed conflict — and believes that empathy holds the key to a more peaceful world. Speaking after the show's release, Verma reflected on the nature of human violence and what separates it from the instinctive aggression found in the animal kingdom.
Empathy Over Aggression
When the conversation turned to violence as a natural force — one that sustains the food chain in the wild — Verma was careful to draw a distinction. 'I distinguish between two things, the human side and the wildlife side. As much as I agree that the wildlife heavily depends on the food chain, but as humans, the least we can do is to be empathetic and have an understanding,' he said.
He elaborated that the root of most human conflict lies in a failure of perspective. 'They have feelings but they sometimes fail to understand that the other person is also human. If we could only just act by thinking what it would feel to be in someone else's shoes — I think that would really solve our problems,' Verma added.
On Soldiers and Selfless Sacrifice
Asked whether setting aside self-interest in favour of protecting others could reduce violence in society, Verma called it a 'heroic' impulse — and one that defines the military. 'The soldiers who are fighting for us are doing exactly the same,' he said. 'The only addition to them is that they don't even know everyone. We only protect the people that we know. They do it for people whom they don't even know.'
Verma went on to articulate his vision for world peace: 'I think the world would be really nice if everybody knew everybody, because then it would just be conversations, and not bombs dropped and missiles thrown away at other people.'
About Operation Safed Sagar
'Operation Safed Sagar' is based on the real combined arms operation conducted by the Indian Air Force, with supporting elements of the Indian Army, during the 1999 Kargil War. The operation 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. It marked the first large-scale use of airpower in the Jammu and Kashmir region since the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
The series brings that chapter of history to a new generation of viewers, with Verma's portrayal of a real-life Wing Commander at its centre. His off-screen views on peace and empathy add a layer of reflection to a role set against one of India's most intense modern conflicts.
Point of View
But they carry a quiet tension worth noting: here is an actor embodying a real military officer who flew combat missions in Kargil, while simultaneously arguing that the world would be better off without the conditions that made those missions necessary. That contradiction is not a flaw — it is the more honest conversation Indian entertainment rarely has. Most war narratives celebrate sacrifice without interrogating cause. Verma's framing, however briefly, does both.
NationPress
27 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who does Abhay Verma play in 'Operation Safed Sagar'?
Abhay Verma portrays Wing Commander Rajpal Singh Dhaliwal in the streaming series 'Operation Safed Sagar'. The character is based on a real officer who served during the 1999 Kargil War.
What is 'Operation Safed Sagar' about?
'Operation Safed Sagar' is a streaming series based on the real Indian Air Force operation of the same name, conducted during the 1999 Kargil War. The operation aimed to flush out Pakistani Army troops from Indian positions in the Kargil sector and was the first large-scale use of airpower in Jammu and Kashmir since 1971.
What does Abhay Verma believe about world peace?
Verma believes empathy is the foundation of world peace. He has said that if people could understand what it feels like to be in another person's position, most conflicts could be resolved through conversation rather than violence.
How does Abhay Verma view soldiers?
Verma described soldiers as performing a 'heroic' act by protecting people they have never met. He contrasted this with ordinary individuals, who typically only protect those they know personally.
When was Operation Safed Sagar conducted?
The real Operation Safed Sagar took place during the 1999 Kargil War. It was a combined arms operation by the Indian Air Force and Indian Army, and represented the first large-scale use of airpower in Jammu and Kashmir since the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
