A well-made thriller embellished by a rare lowkey performance from Akshay Kumar
By Murtaza Ali Khan (@apotofvestiges)
Featured in IMDb Critic Reviews
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| Airlift (2016) - By Raja Krishna Menon |
Our Rating: 7.0
IMDb Ratings: 9.7
Genre: Drama | History | Thriller
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur, Prakash Belawadi
Country: India
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 130 min
Color: Color
Summary: When Iraq invades Kuwait in August, 1990, a callous Indian businessman becomes the spokesperson for more than 150,000 stranded countrymen.
Airlift is a 2016 thriller drama film directed
by Raja Krishna Menon. Co-written by Menon himself, Airlift stars Akshay Kumar,
Nimrat Kaur, Prakash Belawadi, Purab Kohli and Kumud Mishra in major roles. The
movie, inspired by real events, presents the tale of a gritty Kuwait-based
Indian businessman named Ranjit Katyal (played by Akshay Kumar), who against
all odds orchestrates the evacuation of Indian citizens stuck in Kuwait during
the 1990 Iraq-Kuwait war. Menon developed the script after being inspired by
the series of events leading to the evacuation of Indian nationals from Kuwait
during Saddam Hussein’s siege of Kuwait. Till date, it remains the biggest
civil evacuation operation in history—Air India holds the Guinness world record
for the most people evacuated by a civil airline.
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| Akshay Kumar and Nimrat Kaur as Ranjit and Amrita Katyal in Airlift |
Airlift is a gripping film that would make
every non-resident Indian long for the motherland while filling the hearts of
resident Indians with a strong sense of patriotism. Embellished by an extremely
rare low-key performance from Akshay Kumar, the film brilliantly chronicles the
story of one lakh seventy thousand Indians who got stranded in Kuwait in 1990.
Airlift is also the story of the tenacious Indian bureaucrats, Air India pilots
and the businessmen in Kuwait who ingeniously maneuvered the nigh impossible
rescue mission. The movie brilliantly captures the tensions and emotions of the
people involved while simultaneously succeeding in capturing the chaos and
mayhem that became associated with the ticking time bomb that Kuwait had become
at the time of the siege. Little things such as a character's passing remark questioning the selection of a young Sachin Tendulkar in the Indian cricket team greatly add to the movie's period detail.
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| Ranjit Katyal at the mercy of Iraqi soldiers |
With its anti-war motifs, socio-political
commentary, swipes at politicians and bureaucracy, and a strong sense of
nationalism, Airlift proves to be a lot more than a run-of-the-mill Bollywood
production. Akshay Kumar continues to impress with his unique choice of movies—a
trend that he started with Special 26
and has continued with films like Baby
and Gabbar is Back.
Akshay Kumar’s nuanced performance in Airlift immensely adds to the movie’s
realism. It is one of those rare occasions wherein ‘Khiladi’ Kumar doesn’t go
for any big theatrical effects and yet succeeds in packing a strong punch. According
to reports, Akshay believed so strongly in the script that he decided to share
the profits instead of charging fees as remuneration. Akshay gets good support
from the rest of the cast. While Nimrat Kaur is solid in the role of a strong
headed wife, Prakash Belawadi reminds us of his delightful
turn in Madras Cafe. Purab
Kohli and Kumud Mishra are also memorable in their small roles.
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| A Still from Raja Krishna Menon's Airlift |
Overall, Airlift
serves as a powerful reminder of one of the most tumultuous phases in modern
history. For the uninitiated, it is a great means to get acquainted with the
atrocities that the Saddam regime inflicted on the people of Kuwait and how it severely
affected the lives of foreign nationals working in the country at the time. The
movie is extremely well shot and has a sort of international feel to it. As far
as Hindi cinema is concerned, it is quite a welcome sign. Just like all good rescue
films, the emotional quotient is rather on the higher side but barring a few overdramatic
moments (the sudden transformation of a ruthless businessman into a messianic
figure is less than plausible) the element of realism is quite commendable. Airlift
is a well-made thriller that has something for everyone. The pacing is brilliant
without a single dull moment. All Indians, resident as well as non-resident,
ought to check it out.
Readers, please feel free to share your views/opinions in the comment box below. As always your insightful comments are highly appreciated!
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Very well written review...
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it, Bindu! :-)
ReplyDeleteApt review.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that!
ReplyDelete