‘Written in my destiny to make patriotism cool’: Siddharth on Rang De Basanti, Safed Sagar

Siddharth, an actor who has made patriotism cool, recently appeared on the screens with two patriotic films. The first was the trailer launch of his new period war drama Operation Safed Sagar, coinciding with the CJP protests at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. This film pays tribute to Kargil War hero Ajay Ahuja, a role that Siddharth played in 2006's Rang De Basanti. The actor feels grateful for being a part of these watershed moments in the depiction of patriotism on screen.

In a recent interview, Siddharth shared his thoughts on his roles in Rang De Basanti and Operation Safed Sagar. He believes that there is something written in his destiny about making patriotism cool. While Ajay Ahuja in Rang De Basanti was a young war hero, Karan Singhania in the same film was a spoiled, privileged son of a corrupt politician.

Siddharth, playing the role of an air force officer named Ajay in Rang De Basanti, feels that his character was more about Bhagat Singh finding his way into a new vessel in contemporary times, rather than Karan Singhania.

Siddharth is thankful to Netflix India for giving him the opportunity to headline one of their most expensive shows, Operation Safed Sagar. He also acknowledges that his wife, Aditi Rao Hydari, was a part of another flagship show by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. Both his wife's and his own roles in these shows had their share of viral moments on the streaming platform.