India, Aug. 15 -- J immy Shergill's experience of playing an Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot in the recently released show Operation Safed Sagar began with a lesson in what heroism looks like away from the screen, by meeting real-life officers while preparing for the show. "When you meet these heroes, who have sacrificed so much for the country, you see how humble and simple they are in the way they behave with you," he shares. That sense of humility is also reflected in the show, which has been receiving praise for portraying the heroism of the armed forces without resorting to jingoism. Shergill says, "The makers wanted to have the show as real as possible and that brief was passed on to us too. If people have found the show to be authentic, that's a win for us." The masculinity of the officers in the show is also a departure from the aggressive portrayals often seen in Indian cinema, with hypermasculine, alpha-male characters on the rise. Asked about this trend, Shergill says, "If everyone starts doing the same portrayal toh difference kya reh jayega. If I get a testosterone-y kind of a role, I would do it. It's my job to play different roles." Shergill has played Air Force officers before and returning to the role brought back memories. "I went back to 2001-02 when I was shooting for Agnipankh (2004) and then later on to 2010 when I was shooting for Dharti (2011)," he reminisces....