Operation Safed Sagar: Abhay Verma on Being an Actor Beyond Images: If an artist himself is confined to just one form or image, I don’t think he can truly be an actor

Netflix has unveiled the gripping trailer of Operation Safed Sagar, a military drama that taps into the most significant yet lesser-known chapters of the 1999 Kargil War. The upcoming series chronicles the Indian Air Force’s crucial role during Operation Safed Sagar, a high-altitude campaign that supported the Indian Army during the conflict.

The actor calls it a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to be a part of a creation like Operation Safed Sagar. Sharing whether the upcoming Netflix series lets him break away from the image of a chocolate boy from the days of Munjya, Abhay says, “I don’t think an actor should have an image, and I have never really thought that way. If an actor has only one image, then I don’t think I would call him an actor, because an actor is here to explore. As we say in Hindi, “Kalakaar woh hai jo kal ko aakaar deta hai,” an artist is someone who gives shape to tomorrow. So, if an artist himself is confined to just one form or image, I don’t think he can truly be an actor.”

Abhay is keen on wanting his character to be known more than ‘Abhay Verma’. “I want to treat every opportunity that I get in my life with that approach,” he adds. The actor will be seen bringing grit and composure to his portrayal as Flying Officer RS Dhaliwal and expects to make him proud.

“So, I hope R. S. Dhaliwal, wherever he is, and I’m sure he is in this room, feels proud. I really hope and pray that I am able to make him proud, even if just a little, and make his family proud as well. While representing the Air Force, I hope I am able to maintain the dignity and stature that comes with it. For me, that would truly mean giving shape to tomorrow as an artist. So, I don’t think about images, and I don’t believe in them at all,” he concludes.

Directed by Oni Sen, the series has been created by Abhijeet Singh Parmar and Kushal Srivastava and is produced by Sanjay Routray and Sarita Patil of Matchbox Shots LLP along with Mehboob Pal Singh Brar of Feel Good Films. The ensemble cast features Siddharth, Jimmy Shergill, Abhay Verma, Dia Mirza, Prajakta Koli, Adil Hussain, Mihir Ahuja, Taaruk Raina, Arnav Bhasin, and Amrita Bagchi. The series premieres on August 7, exclusively on Netflix.