Movie Review: Airlift

Director: Raja Krishna Menon
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur, Kumud Mishra, Prakash Belawadi, Inaamulhaq


During August 1990, Iraq declared war on Kuwait and annexed the region. During August 14 and October 11,1990 around one lakh seventy thousand Indians were evacuated out of the war torn region by the joint efforts of Air India and Indian Air Force. This is said to be the largest civilian airlift in History. The present film is a fictionalised account of the events.


Kuwait was a mecca of sorts for Indian diaspora. Many Indian businessmen have settled their to enjoy a largely Western lifestyle. Akshay Kumar plays one such businessman, Ranjit Katyal , someone who has friends in high places and always manages to cut a sweet deal for himself. He considers himself more Kuwaiti then Indian and the film follows his internal journey as he grapples with the problem of conducting safe passage not only for his immediate family but also for the thousands stranded there because of the war. Nimrat plays his wife, Amrita, someone who is tired of her husband's tycoon lifestyle and someone who comes to love him again when she witness the changes within him.


On one hand, there are the super rich NRIs and then there are their drivers, nannies, gardeners and even the coolies and dock workers. There is bound to be friction when all classes are closeted together and the film does bring it out. We see the rifts and witness the camaraderie too.

The evacuation of such large number of people, most of whom didn't have any paperwork, would have been a logistical nightmare but all that's glossed over. We also get the feeling that the government was apathetic towards the people stranded there and it's largely ad hoc decisions taken by few individuals that got the job done.

The gritty recreation of the war zone -- most of the film was shot in UAE and certain areas were recreated to look like 90s Kuwait -- is the highlight of the film. The crowd scenes as well as those of assault and arson look real. Able camerawork by Priya Seth gives a documentary feel to the film.

Kumud Mishra’s portrayal of a sympathetic civil servant is praiseworthy, as is Prakash Belawadi’s as a disgruntled middle class man who can't adjust himself to the situation. Purab Kohli, who plays a young lower middle class Muslim, is good too. Nimrat is a natural both as a high society wife and as a woman who comes to respect her man's crusade. She comes into her own in the long scene where she berates the crowd for doubting his intentions. Last, but not the least, Akshay Kumar, in a departure from brain dead comedies, brings to life a man who must let go of his arrogance to fight a battle where rules change by the minute. It’s Akshay’s most honest portrayal till date, where he lets his eyes and silences do the talking.

Watch the film to get to know a slice of history most Indians have largely forgotten...