Who will fight for the nation?: Jimmy Shergill questions youth's preference for reels over armed forces

Actor Jimmy Shergill, who will be seen in Netflix web series Operation Safed Sagar—based on the Indian Air Force's role during the 1999 Kargil War—has expressed concern over today's youth lacking interest in joining the armed forces. Sharing how high cut-off marks prevented him from joining the military in his youth, the actor urged the younger generation to learn about real-life war heroes instead of focusing solely on filmmaking and social media reels. He also touched upon how patriotism in cinema and news media has become increasingly loud over the years.

Shergill spoke at the trailer launch event of the series in Mumbai on Monday.

'Who will fight for the nation?'

Jimmy shared that he had wanted to join the armed forces when he was young, but because of the high cut-off marks, he could not make it. The actor lamented that many youngsters today are not interested in joining the forces and serving the nation.

He said, "If I talk about my time and especially those who were in public schools, 99.99% of us wanted to join the armed forces. I had scored over 90%, yet I still fell short of the cut-off marks. Therefore, even though I had applied, I didn't qualify. There was so much competition. In today's day and age, it seems like no one is interested. Sabko filmein karni hai. Everyone has been handed a phone and they are encouraged to (shoot Reels). Har aadmi bas filmein hi bana raha hai. Toh desh ke liye kaun ladega bhai? Ya apne andar hi ladte rahoge?"

'Younger generation needs to know about these heroes'

Speaking about Operation Safed Sagar, Jimmy said this is precisely why the younger generation should be made aware of the courage and sacrifices of India's soldiers and Air Force personnel.

He said, “Hence, it's important for our younger generation to know about these heroes who sacrificed their lives for their country. They should see this show and say, ‘I want to join the Air Force’. Aur agar unki umar nikal gayi toh, toh woh apne hone waale baccho ko bolenge ki, ‘We want them to join the Air Force’. Itna bhi ho gaya toh bahut hai.”

On the shift toward loud patriotic films and media

During a recent chat with Hindustan Times, Jimmy was asked whether patriotic films have become louder over the last two decades. Responding to the question, the actor said, “Aaj ke zamane me sab kuch lagta hai chilla ke bolna padta hai.”

He added that this loudness is not limited to films alone. “Aap news bhi dekho. Uss zamaane me kaise log pyaar se news suna diya karte the. Log sunte the woh bhi. Aaj chilla chilla ke bol rahe hain, maybe shayad waisa hai.”