Meet the reel Alka Ahuja, played by actor Amrita Bagchi, who shares her experience of portraying Mrs Alka Ahuja, wife of Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, played by Siddharth, in Operation Safed Sagar.
As India marks its 80th Independence Day, Bagchi’s portrayal brings into focus the women whose lives, sacrifices and resilience often remain away from the battlefield and outside the familiar narratives of war.Sharing her experience of working with Rang De Basanti star Siddharth in Operation Safed Sagar, Amrita says, “It was fantastic. I hope every actor gets to work with Sid once. He is such a generous person and actor, and extremely funny. He put me at ease almost immediately. He listens to his co-actor beautifully and is always open to trying new things. If I tried something new while shooting, he would immediately respond and take it to the next level. Sid does not believe in hierarchy, and that is why scene building with him is so easy.”
Recalling the farewell scene as one of the most challenging moments for her, Amrita says, “Amrita the actor knew he wasn’t coming back, Alka the character did not. She is stressed and a little anxious but cannot tell him. I could not play it like it was the last farewell, but the intensity also needed to land. Director Oni Sen and Abhijeet told me to play it very ordinary, like a gut feeling we are trying to ignore, sort of like sand in your shoes. The salute that Siddharth did wasn’t expected, and the moment he did that, everything just fell into place.” The other scene that stayed with her was Alka leaving the Air Force base and re-entering civilian life. “It’s not an exit, it’s more a transition. I didn’t want anyone to feel pity for her. That exchange with Dia Mirza was very delicate. Dia is such a giving actor and became Kamal with such ease. Her just standing there looking at me with tears in her eyes made it very easy.” For Bagchi, her character, Alka, was not simply the wife waiting at home while her husband served in the Air Force; she was his closest friend, an equal partner and the person who anchored their home. Amrita adds, “The length of a role does not matter, the impact matters. I don’t see any character as a secondary role. I always look at it as my story. Every character is the protagonist of their own life, so it does not matter if it’s a part of a larger tale. It is my story and I will play it that way.”
On preparing to play Mrs Alka Ahuja, Amrita says, “After meeting her and studying her a bit, I realised Alka ji was born with a resilient spirit. She did not suddenly discover it after the tragedy; she always had a silent strength within her. She and Ajay ji chose each other, and they had one thing in common: courage, perhaps in different forms. They were best friends and there was a lot of equality in the relationship. She was not easily broken. She embodies the true feminine spirit for me.” Amrita continues, “I realised that grief cannot be imitated. It’s impossible to encapsulate in one performance what she has endured. But I can learn from her grace. She kept telling me that he was a very fun person, a devoted husband and father, and her best friend. Their love was like air—invisible but ever present. I thought I needed to embody the part of her that anchored him and the home they built together. If I can anchor him, the rest will follow.”
Amrita also had extensive discussions with director Oni Sen and creators Abhijeet and Kushal. “One thing always stood out—Alka ji must be a very silent, dignified presence. She is not one to melt in a pool of tears. She will never cry in public. She will always meet people in the eye while speaking. She is a straight talker and speaks minimally. There has to be immense control over herself.” A memorable part of the shoot was the cast bonding without their phones. “Every day we had to submit all our phones and gadgets at the gate of the Air Force base. It actually enabled us to bond the old-school way—dumb charades, antaksharis, hours of chatting, eating at the homes of Air Force officers, walks amidst the trees and actually seeing sunrise and sunset. It felt very special and contributed hugely to the bond the cast shares.”
Bagchi’s own journey began as a graphic designer and illustrator before theatre led her towards acting. She worked with Manav Kaul on ColourBlind, followed by Anurag Basu’s Tagore Stories, The Music Teacher, Hasmukh, City of Dreams/Mayanagari and independent films including Shoebox. Alongside acting, she has been writing and directing. Her first short, Succulent, was completed during the pandemic and travelled to international festivals, while her second, Tinctoria, was directed in 2025 on an iPhone with Vikramaditya Motwane as her mentor, through MAMI x Apple India. Her creative work also extends to music and visual art, including her original song Bematlab, which she wrote, composed and performed.
Her upcoming work includes Gujarati indie Roojh, directed by Himadri Parmar, and How to Not Have Sex, directed by Sudarshan Narayanan, an Indian adaptation of Richard Linklater’s Tape, with Linklater as executive producer. After screenings in New York, Austin and Seattle, the film is headed to the Melbourne Film Festival 2026.
“I strongly feel filmmaking is an amalgamation of all art forms. For someone as curious and always interested in multiple things like me, this is the ideal place to bring all my interests together,” she concludes.
Set against the backdrop of the 1999 Kargil War, Operation Safed Sagar, directed by Oni Sen and featuring Jimmy Shergill, Dia Mirza, Abhay Verma, Mihir Ahuja, Prajakta Koli, Siddharth, Amrita Bagchi and Taaruk Raina, is streaming now on Netflix.
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