Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, currently in Pakistani custody after the MiG-21 he was flying was downed by Pakistan Air Force, appeared on the Rocky & Mayur show on NDTV Good Times in 2011.

Asked what is the primary requirement to be a good fighter pilot, Abhinandan, then a flight lieutenant flying a Sukhoi, says: “bad attitude”.

“I trust Dusty (co-pilot) with my life, and he trusts mine. That’s our training. And this is blind faith. No two ways about it.”