‘I really enjoyed playing Baldi sir’s part’: Mihir Ahuja on portraying Flying Officer CH Bal Reddy in ‘Operation Safed Sagar’; reveals Air Force training challenges | Hindi Movie News

Actor Mihir Ahuja has opened up about portraying Flying Officer CH Bal Reddy in the series ‘Operation Safed Sagar: The Untold Story of the Kargil War‘. The character is also known by his callsign, “Baldi”.The role required Mihir Ahuja to recreate the mannerisms of an Indian Air Force officer. The actor had to work on several physical details before stepping into the character.Posture was among the first aspects he focused on. The actor also had to get the salute and walking style right.Speaking to IANS, Mihir Ahuja said, “I would say it was a mix of everything. For us, the first challenge was getting the Air Force posture right — the salute, the walk and everything else.”

Mihir Ahuja discusses emotional challenges

The actor said the role also presented challenges beyond its physical requirements. Understanding the emotional journey of CH Bal Reddy became another important part of his preparation.Mihir Ahuja particularly mentioned the character’s emotional arc with Madhavi. He also had to handle a separate storyline connected to Baldi within the series.“After that, understanding the emotional arc of Baldi sir with Madhavi was a little challenging to crack. Apart from that, the character was different because he had a completely different track as well. So, that was challenging. But I really enjoyed playing Baldi sir’s part, and I am glad that I got the opportunity to portray him.”The actor said he was grateful for the opportunity to portray a real-life Air Force officer.

Actor recalls connection with Indian Air Force

Mihir Ahuja described his association with the Indian Air Force as one of the most rewarding parts of the project. He also spoke about shooting at real locations.For the actor, playing a military figure came with a sense of responsibility. The opportunity also allowed him to interact with CH Bal Reddy himself.“It has been a very good experience. First of all, if you get a chance to connect with the Air Force, there is nothing more fortunate than that for an actor. Playing an Air Force officer and shooting at real locations was a very good experience. CH Bal Reddy sir, also known as Baldi sir, which is his callsign, was an integral part of the Kargil War. I still speak to him today.”

CH Bal Reddy saved Mihir Ahuja’s number as ‘Baldi’

Mihir Ahuja also shared a personal detail about his bond with CH Bal Reddy. The actor revealed that the real-life officer saved his phone number using the callsign “Baldi”. “He has even saved my number on his phone as ‘Baldi’, which is beautiful for me. It is a great feeling because he is a real hero. He gives us so much respect by watching our performance, and that is a wonderful feeling for all of us.” The actor said receiving appreciation from someone who was directly connected to the Kargil War made the experience especially meaningful.

‘Operation Safed Sagar’ gets praise from ETimes

‘Operation Safed Sagar: The Untold Story of the Kargil War’ has been directed by Oni Sen. Kushal Srivastava and Abhijeet Singh Parmar have created the series. The cast includes Jimmy Shergill, Siddharth, Vinay Pathak, Manu Rishi Chadha and Abhay Verma, among others. The series premiered on August 7, 2026.ETimes awarded the series four stars out of five. The review praised its cinematography, aerial combat sequences and production design.The review read, “Technically, Operation Safed Sagar is among the most accomplished Indian war dramas produced for OTT. SETU’s cinematography captures both the vastness of the Himalayan landscape and the claustrophobic intensity inside fighter cockpits with equal finesse. The aerial combat sequences are spectacularly mounted, combining convincing visual effects with expertly choreographed action. Every bombing run, reconnaissance mission and dogfight conveys speed, danger and tactical precision without descending into visual excess. The production design also deserves praise for recreating air bases, command centres and military infrastructure with convincing detail.”