Siddharth continues to get praise from all quarters for his portrayal of Kargil War hero Ajay Ahuja in Oni Sen’s period war drama Operation Safed Sagar on Netflix. Ahuja, who was killed during the Kargil War, was a Squadron Leader with the Golden Arrows, a unit of the Indian Air Force that played a crucial role in India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1999 conflict.Talking about Ajay Ahuja, Siddharth told PTI, “I’d like to believe if Ahuja sir was not a soldier, he might have been an artist like myself. He might have been doing something to do with imaging and photography.” The actor got to know through intimate conversations with Ajay Ahuja’s wife Alka Ahuja that Ajay enjoyed dealing in gadgets, photography, and acquiring technical knowledge.In an interview with SCREEN, the actor also pointed out how Ajay Ahuja was also a film buff, with Shah Rukh Khan being his favourite actor. That’s exactly why in the show, he dances to Shah Rukh’s popular song “Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhen” from Abbas-Mustan’s 1993 hit romantic thriller Baazigar. That also explains why he refers to that film during a lighthearted conversation with longtime friend and Commanding Officer BS Dhanoa, “Main toh Baazigar banne aaya tha. Aapne mujhe Crime Master Gogo bana dia!”Siddharth loves ‘Mera bhi pehla war hai’ sceneAnother scene that humanises the war hero is the one where he tells members of the Golden Arrows to not be nervous going into Kargil War, since that’s also his first-ever war. “I found it fascinating that they paused to go into the human being as opposed to shout out his reasons for being nervous, anxious or angry with what’s going to happen next. I love that scene also because of that line — ‘Mera bhi pehla war hai‘,” said Siddharth.“If this was not about the Indian Air Force, then I don’t think that scene would have been the same — the volume at which they’re speaking, the kind of camaraderie with which the room is filled, and the lack of age-based or seniority-based status quo that would usually fill a war room the night before the war,” pointed out the actor, adding, “It equalises so quickly. It’s like a teacher telling their student, I haven’t written my exam yet. Because the teacher usually is expected to know everything. He has done everything. I find that to be one of the most gentle qualities of the show.”On getting love from all overSiddharth has also received praise from senior members of the Indian defence forces for bringing Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja to life in Operation Safed Sagar. “I’ve been receiving messages from three-star generals and air marshals, and that is very new for me. So that is just because of the pedigree, reputation and sacrifice of Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja,” said the actor.“What we’re getting from day one… the metrics and the optics that are being talked about is authenticity, intention, how it’s different from everything else that’s been related to warfare in the past in fictionalised television or cinema, and how it does tribute in the perfect way to Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja,” he added.Story continues below this adHailing Operation Safed Sagar as a “zeitgeist project”, Siddharth shared, “I can tell you the difference between projects that are zeitgeist like this… It’s just that your phone rings very differently. Your messages are received very differently. The width and distance from where those messages come from and the times of day they come from all hits very differently.”He claimed that the audience has been appreciating the show for not only its non-jingoistic stance, but also the top-notch quality of the VFX. “People have praised how it gets the enemy right without making them caricatures or without empty hate; how it does patriotism without jingoism; and how it does technical wizardry without apology, ‘No, we only had this much money to spend on the VFX,'” argued the actor.Also Read — ‘Gave emotional finish’: Creator on fictionalised last scene in Operation Safed SagarOperation Safed Sagar, one of the most expensive projects of Netflix India yet, has pumped over Rs 215 crore into the Indian economy, including Rs 49 crore into just getting the VFX right. “I’m just very happy that the flight landed and it landed safely. That’s what Operation Safed Sagar is to me today,” added Siddharth.