Prajakta Koli defends her Operation Safed Sagar character Madhavi: ‘She is not a red flag’

Prajakta Koli plays civilian Madhavi Reddy, the longtime girlfriend of Flying Officer CH Bal Reddy, played by Mihir Ahuja, in Operation Safed Sagar.

Netflix's period war drama Operation Safed Sagar has become one of the most talked-about shows of the year. The series is based on the Indian Air Force's role in the 1999 Kargil War and offers a closer look at the lives of the fighter pilots involved in the historic mission. Prajakta Koli plays the character of civilian Madhavi Reddy, the longtime girlfriend of Flying Officer CH Bal Reddy, aka Baldy, played by Mihir Ahuja.

Prajakta Koli in a still from Operation Safed Sagar.

'My character is not a red flag'

Many on the internet have called Madhavi Reddy a 'red flag' after she flees home and shows up at the Indian Air Force (IAF) base, wishing to spend the rest of her life with Bal Reddy.

However, Prajakta doesn't view her character as a red flag. According to the actor, Madhavi's actions stem from being blindly in love and wanting to build a life with the man she loves. She told SCREEN, “I actually didn’t see Madhavi as a red flag at all. It was a very human, common emotion that anybody feels, when you want to spend your life with somebody you’re hopelessly in love with. And there are so many colours a person has. While he’s fighting for our country, he’s also a man in love. While she’s supportive of his dream, she’s also someone who wants a life with him.She took avery brave step of leaving everything for the man she loves”.

'So much more happens with a soldier'

Prajakta also spoke about how the show gives agency to the partners of armed forces personnel, marking a departure from portrayals that often reduce soldiers' wives and partners to women waiting anxiously for their husbands to return from war. She said, “Operation Safed Sagar deals with so much more of what happens with a soldier than what happens at the frontlines. I love how it humanizes them to have these complex building blocks of life. The fact that I get to play one of them is such an honour for me."

About Operation Safed Sagar

Operation Safed Sagar: The Untold Story of the Kargil War is a six-episode Netflix period war drama that premiered on August 7, 2026. The series is inspired by the Indian Air Force's historic Operation Safed Sagar during the 1999 Kargil War and focuses on the Golden Arrows squadron. The IAF's high-altitude air operation became a crucial part of India's military response during the conflict.

Directed by Oni Sen and created by Abhijeet Singh Parmar and Kushal Srivastava, the series stars Siddharth, Jimmy Shergill, Abhay Verma, Dia Mirza, Prajakta Koli, Adil Hussain, Mihir Ahuja, Taaruk Raina, Arnav Bhasin and Amrita Bagchi.