Exclusive - Directors of Declassified: Operation Sindoor reveal how they got Ajit Doval and what was the trickiest part

Operation Sindoor was India’s response to the dastardly Pahalgam attack that numbed the nation. As the world hailed New Delhi’s answer to the act of terror, what really unfolded inside the military war rooms was something one could only guess. A year later, husband-wife filmmaker duo Prabhu Asgaonkar and Manika Berry Asgaonkar have directed a two-part documentary, Declassified: Operation Sindoor, a story that brings the voices of military officials who worked relentlessly for the success of the operation.

In an exclusive conversation with WION, the director duo, who come from military families, talk about the series from scratch- from how it all began and all that- with no scripting and with this they ended up having over 200 hours of interviews, which they have presented in a two-hour episode, and the biggest question was how they got National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who rarely speaks on camera, to come and talk about it.

Here are the edited excerpts from the chat:

WION: Take us back to the very beginning. What was the moment or thought that made you say, “We need to make a documentary about Operation Sindoor”? Where did the idea first begin?

Prabhu Asgaonkar: We have been making military content for now a decade and a half, and anything that is eventful in the country, we try to put it across to the world. So, as soon as Sindoor happened, we knew that we had to do this program; we had to make this and get it out, but we were waiting for the right opportunity because there was a lot of noise at that time. And so, actually, we started; the thought started only after the operation was over and the ceasefire came into force.

Manika Berry Asgaonkar: The idea was actually as soon as the operation finished and, there was all that media noise about what is going on and what has been done, and there were just a lot of, there were a lot of disparate conversations. Everybody would pick a thread and talk about it to death. And so, at the end of it, Prabhu and I were like, we need to actually piece the story together from the beginning to the end rather than in bits and pieces. And also, let's hear it from the people who actually did the operation and let's hear it in detail. Rather than just, like, one, sensational line after the other. The whole thing seemed more like that; the media noise was like that. So, we were like, let's put it all in one place. And it seemed even at that time for us like a thriller. It was like live action happening. So, we were like, let's turn this into a sort of an action documentary where we get the people who were actually the heroes of the operation to talk to the audience directly.

WION: What was your central focus when you started scripting the documentary?

Prabhu Asgaonkar: 'It wasn't scripted at all. We only had a large concept that we had to get the story out- the human story and the operational story from the people who actually did the operation. It was not just getting them to speak about anything, but it was something that they had to speak freely about: the operation and the human story. And their experience of how the operation unfolded while they were sitting in the hot seat. So, that was the main central idea on which we worked our program and our line of questioning.

Photos of Prabhu Asgaonkar and Manika Berry Asgaonkar Photograph: (X)

Manika Berry Asgaonkar: The whole purpose for us for a documentary is to actually go in and ask people and get them comfortable enough to speak about stuff that they might not have spoken about earlier. So, we ended up with like about 200 hours of interviews, out of which we culled this 90-minute story out. And also made a conscious decision that there should be no voiceover because that sort of presupposes an editorial line by the directors. We didn't want to do that. We wanted to cull the story out of what people were saying.

Still from Declassified: Operation Sindoor Photograph: (x)

WION: The access in the documentary is extraordinary, from the armed forces brass to NSA Ajit Doval himself. Who opened the first door for you?

Prabhu Asgaonkar: Both Manika and I are military brats, we grew up in this circle. And we have been doing a lot of military work and interacting with the Army, Navy and Air Force for a long period, so there was already a sense of trust. When you do a story like this, you have to build that trust and also assure them that the story will be genuine and not coloured by any editorial situation. Once you cross that hurdle, it becomes easier for the person being interviewed, to the point of what they can say, keeping national security in mind. So, I think that was the biggest challenge that we had, and fortunately we had that kind of belief from the others that we would be able to talk to them on that. So, as far as that is concerned, yes, the senior officers and all came on board only because of the fact that we have been working a lot with them.

Manika Berry Asgaonkar: As everybody knows, he [Ajit Doval] speaks very rarely on camera. So, 10 years ago, we did a three-part series for History Channel which had the surgical strikes, and it had two other episodes. He spoke with us at that point also. He gave an interview for that. So, I think it's a very old relationship. There is a sense of trust that whatever he says is not going to be taken out of context. Also, Nitin [Nitin Gokhale] has a relationship with him, and for that project as well, he helped us get access to him. So, it's all about trust at the end of the day. If they feel comfortable with you, they will speak. If they don't feel comfortable, you can keep trying, and nothing is going to happen. So, with the entire military leadership and even with Mr Doval, there is a relationship, and there is a sense of trust. And we are very grateful for that.

NSA Ajit Doval Photograph: (X)

WION:What was the trickiest part of making this documentary, and what did you do differently to make it stand out?

Prabhu Asgaonkar: There is no voiceover in the film. That was the biggest challenge because using those 200 hours of interviews and stringing everything together while still keeping the story and the viewer's interest in mind and keeping them engaged. I think that was the biggest challenge for us because we did not want to use a voiceover. We wanted to use first-person accounts, and editing a 90-minute documentary. So, I think that was the biggest challenge that we faced while making this.

WION: Some pilots' identities were kept hidden in the documentary. Was that for operational security, or did they request anonymity themselves?

Prabhu Asgaonkar: It's something that we keep in mind when we are doing programs like this because if someone is in operations, you have to keep their security intact and not allow them to be publicly seen. So, it's basically a security concern. They didn't have anything. We did that as part of that, and it's part of protocol for all military content that goes out anywhere.

Manika Berry Asgaonkar: In an operational role, basically. The ones who are actually on the ground. So, for them, whether we film with the special forces or these young pilots who went in and actually did the operation. We also change their voices. We kept them in the dark because it's just security for them.

WION: Season 1 has created a lot of buzz. Are you planning a season 2, or is something else on the cards?

Manika Berry Asgaonkar: There will be something exciting definitely. We have thoroughly enjoyed working on it, and you must watch this space for the next exciting project that we come up with. Season 2 will happen.

Prabhu: Season 2 will happen, but Sindoor at the moment is still ongoing. So, let's see. One doesn't know.

Declassified: Operation Sindoor is streaming on Discovery+