Airlift (film)

Airlift is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language political thriller film directed by Raja Krishna Menon starring Akshay Kumar and Nimrat Kaur, that follows Ranjit Katyal (played by Kumar), a Kuwait-based businessman as he carries out the evacuation of Indians based in Kuwait during the Invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein's Iraq which led to the beginning of the Gulf War. The film was jointly produced by Abundantia Entertainment, Cape of Good Films, Emmay Entertainment and T-Series on a total budget of ₹320 million. The plot is adapted from the real life story of Kuwait-based Indian businessmen such as Mathunny Mathews from Kerala, Harbhajan Singh Vedi etc.

Director Menon wrote the script after studying the whole incident of the war and the predicament of Indians based in Kuwait. He then approached Akshay Kumar for the role of a character based on Mathunny Mathews, He agreed to act and produce under his banner of Hari Om Entertainment, Kumar reported that his 80% profit share will be included in the film's budget and he will not charge fees. Filming began in February 2015. The first schedule of the film was reportedly shot in Al-Hamra Palace Beach Resort in Ras Al Khaimah. The sets were re-created to depict Kuwait during 1990. The film was shot in several locations including, Ujjain, Bhuj and Rajasthan. Kumar collaborated with the flight company Air India to promote the film, which had a major contribution to the evacuation of a record-breaking number of Indians during the war.