The Kargil War of 1999 was fought between India and Pakistan on snowy peaks and in thin air. The conflict, which gave India a decisive military and moral victory over its reviled neighbour, continues to inspire films and shows.

The Netflix limited series Operation Safed Sagar recounts the vital contributions of the Indian Air Force’s Golden Arrows Squadron. The Hindi show, based on actual events and real individuals, examines how bravery, tactical brilliance and a typical Indian workaround altered the course of a conflict that was threatening to go in Pakistan’s favour.

The squadron comprises young fighter pilots raring to go but not equipped to do so. Their commanding officer Tony Dhanoa (Jimmy Shergil) brings in Ajay Ahuja (Siddharth) to coach the youngsters.

Dhali (Abhay Verma) is gifted but impatient and aggressive. Baldy (Mihir Ahuja) has a case of the nerves. Together with Sangy (Taaruk Raina) and Goofy (Arnav Bhasin), these pilots must learn to trust each other and pool their individual skills when the war breaks out.

War is inevitable, despite Indian prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee (Aanjjan Srivastava) making a crucial visit to Pakistan. The bonhomie between Vajpayee and Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif (Vinay Pathak) suggests a historic thaw.

Pakistan’s Army chief Pervez Musharraf (Manu Rishi Chadha) is seething in the shadows, outraged by Sharif’s perceived betrayal. Musharraf schemes to scuttle the peace summit even while it is on, sending Pakistani soldiers disguised as jihadist fighters over the Line of Control.

The Pakistanis give Indian Army soldiers a tough fight. Western Air Command chief V Patney (Adil Hussain) and the Golden Arrows Squadron scramble a response that involves untested fliers, underpowered planes and a hugely risky strategy.

Oni Sen directs six episodes written by Sandeep Jain, Nikhil Ravi, Barun Kashyap and Abhijeet Singh Parmar. Shot by Setu, the series is an all-but-official chronicle of high-flying valour, with inputs from and scrutiny by the Defence Ministry.

Operation Safed Sagar stays within strictly prescribed limits while also veering off for dramatic effect. The IAF ethos, the discipline, the sacrifice, the moist-eyed salutes and rousing speeches, the possibly final goodbyes and the “Bombs away!” lingo are all on display, as are also personal doubts and interpersonal rivalries.

The balance between cold strategy and fuzzy emotions, which is de rigueur in productions about military triumphs that came at the cost of human lives, isn’t smooth. The series could easily have been a film that focused on the thrilling aerial combat missions and left the emotional dredging to other similarly themed projects.

Sub-plots about Ajay and his wife Alka (Amrita Bagchi), Tony and his spouse Kamalpreet (Dia Mirza) and Baldy’s romance with Madhavi (Prajakta Koli) are aimed at exposing the messy hearts pumping beneath the uniforms. While they reveal the unique dynamic that exists among the armed forces and their families, they are distractions from the real deal.

The most unanticipated dimension to the writing is the audacious solutions that Ajay and Tony come up with to defeat a sneaky adversary. This involves making do with existing resources while also hoodwinking Pakistan and its ally, the United States.

As a character says, when has India ever waited for perfect conditions?

The maximum creative licence is exercised in portraying – rather, imagining – backroom politics in Islamabad and Washington DC. The show’s makers affect an inside knowledge of Pakistani and American statecraft that borders on the ludicrous.

Only Manu Rishi Chadha, superb as Musharraf, and Vinay Pathak, suitably befuddled as Nawaz Sharif, benefit from the unconvincing scenes set in Pakistan.

Sharif is portrayed as a political nepo baby, his strings pulled by his father. Chadha’s Musharraf is entirely effective, his eyes reduced to icicles as he carries on a personal, increasingly untenable war. Chadha’s performance has correctly judged restraint and sinister depth.

On the Indian side, Siddharth, the always dependable Jimmy Shergill and Adil Hussain bring professionalism and purpose to their roles. Abhay Verma has the most noteworthy arc among the fighter pilots, his Dhali channelling Maverick from Top Gun all the way through.

A squadron of actors fills up the other roles. Barun Sobti is somewhere there, as are Danish Husain, Sanjay Suri and KC Shankar. Everyone plays their part in a team effort that gives Operation Safed Sagar its wings and lets it soar.

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