Ex‑pilot Akshat Saxena Plays Air Traffic Controller in Netflix Kargil Drama
· Entertainment · Indian Express, The Guardian, The Independent
Akshat Saxena, a former commercial airline pilot, appears as an air traffic controller in Netflix’s series ‘Operation Safed Sagar’, which dramatises the 1999 Kargil war. Saxena grew up in an Air Force family; his father, Wing Commander Pankaj Saxena, was called up for Operation Safed Sagar and later died of a cardiac arrest in July 2022. The series role is personal for Saxena, who says he was moved by the chance to recreate the war his father served in. He noted that his last flight as a pilot was on 27 December 2023 and he began filming the series on the same date in 2024, a coincidence he sees as a tribute to his father.
Why it matters
The portrayal offers a personal view of the Kargil conflict for Indian audiences and honours the service of an Air Force family, potentially deepening public appreciation of the war. Through his role, viewer families with similar backgrounds may find resonance and recognition of the sacrifices made by military personnel.
Read the original report — Indian Express
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