Jump to content

Airlift (film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Ravensfire (talk | contribs) at 15:47, 21 November 2022 (correct and tone down puffery). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Airlift
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRaja Krishna Menon
Written by
  • Raja Krishna Menon
  • Suresh Nair
  • Rahul Nangia
  • Ritesh Shah
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyPriya Seth
Edited byHemanti Sarkar
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed byPrateek Entertainments (India)
B4U Motion Pictures (International)
Release date
    • 21 January 2016 (2016-01-21) (Dubai)
    • 22 January 2016 (2016-01-22) (India)
Running time
125 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹32 Crores[2]
Box office₹231 Crores[3]

Airlift is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language drama 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 lead to the beginning of the Gulf War.[1] The film was jointly produced by Abundantia Entertainment, Cape of Good Films, Emmay Entertainment, Hari Om Entertainment, T-Series and Viacom 18 Motion Pictures on a total budget of ₹320 million.[4] The plot is adapted from real life story of a Kuwait-based Malayali businessman Mathunny Mathews.[5]

Director Menon wrote the script after studying the whole incident of war and the predicament of Indians based in Kuwait.[6] He then approached Akshay Kumar for the role of a character based on Mathunny Mathews,[7] He agreed to act and produce under his banner of Hari Om Entertainment,[6][8] Kumar reported that his 80% profit share will be included in the film's budget and he would not charge fees.[2][9] Filming began in February 2015.[10][11] The first schedule of the film was reportedly shot in Al-Hamra Palace Beach Resort in Ras Al Khaimah[12] [13] The sets were re-created to depict Kuwait during 1990.[14] The film was shot in several locations including, Ujjain, Bhuj and [15] Rajasthan. Kumar collaborated with the flight company Air India to promote the film who had a major contribution in the evacuation of record-breaking number of Indians during the war.[16]

Airlift opened theatrically worldwide on 22 January 2016, coinciding with Republic Day weekend.[17] The film received positive reviews from the critics, praising film's strong writing, scale, editing, cinematography and big applaud went to Akshay Kumar for his acting, calling his one of the best performances. The film was a commercial success, it emerged as a blockbuster at Indian as well as abroad box office.[2] Airlift has grossed over ₹2.28 billion in global markets. The film is featured among the 2016 Indian Panorama section of the International Film Festival of India.[18]

Plot

In 1990, Indian expatriate Ranjit Katyal (Akshay Kumar) is a successful Kuwait-based businessman who is very well-connected with officials in Kuwait City and Baghdad, and makes a happy home with his wife Amrita (Nimrat Kaur) and their daughter Simu. He calls himself a Kuwaiti and is often derisive towards Indians.

After a night of partying, Ranjit is woken up to a phone call from his friend and receives word that negotiations between Iraq and Kuwait have collapsed, and Iraqi troops have begun their invasion of Kuwait. The next morning, Ranjit discovers that Kuwait City is now occupied by the Iraqi Army. Ranjit and Nair, his driver, go out and drive to the Indian embassy in an attempt to take their family and leave Kuwait. They are stopped by Iraqi soldiers at a checkpoint and Nair is shot dead amidst the confusion. A shocked Ranjit is then taken to the Emir's palace. There he meets Iraqi Republican Guard officer Major Khalaf bin Zayd (Inaamulhaq), who reveals that he was the one who pulled up to the checkpoint earlier and prevented Ranjit from being harmed. Major Khalaf, who knows Ranjit from Ranjit's visits to Iraq, chides him but extends his personal friendship, ensuring Ranjit and his family's safety from the soldiers.

From there, Ranjit goes to the Indian embassy where he learns that the Kuwaiti government has fled into exile. Some 170,000 Indians in Kuwait are now stranded as refugees. Iraqi forces continue to push through Kuwait and Ranjit's mansion is raided by Iraqi soldiers, but his wife and child manage to escape to his office. Ranjit convinces his friends to work together, and they set up a makeshift camp for some 500 Indians with Major Khalaf's permission. Amrita urges Ranjit to use his leverage to extricate his own family, but Ranjit, who ordinarily would have just looked out for himself, appears to have a change of heart. He decides to stay and help the other Indians leave Kuwait.

Ranjit learns that the Indian embassy in Kuwait has been evacuated and phones the Indian External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi, where he reaches the Joint Secretary, Sanjiv Kohli (Kumud Mishra), and asks for arrangements to be made for the evacuation. Later on, the camp is looted by Iraqi soldiers and harassed some of the refugees. Ranjit pays a visit to Major Khalaf and talks to him about this, to which the Major simply extends his apologies, and also reveals that President Saddam has already permitted Indians to leave Kuwait, but the problem is that they have no way to do so. Ranjit travels to Baghdad to try to negotiate safe passage out of Kuwait, but to no avail. The only remaining option, Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz, turns out to be helpful. He discloses that an Indian merchant ship is due to arrive in Iraq with various supplies, and permits the Indian refugees to leave on the ship. However, Ranjit later receives news of the UN embargo and that ships are barred from entering or leaving Iraq, effectively crushing their hopes of getting out.

Meanwhile, Kohli is somewhat of a sluggard, but when his father (Arun Bali) recounts their tale of woe during the partition of India, Kohli is inspired to actively help Ranjit. He approaches the national airline, Air India, to lead an evacuation of the 170,000 Indians in Kuwait and gets the Indian embassy in Amman, Jordan to issue permits. As the Indians leave Kuwait, Ranjit comes across yet another checkpoint where he encounters hostile Iraqi soldiers who, in absence of any passports or IDs, threaten to kill Amrita. A skirmish erupts between Ranjit and the soldiers, following which the people in Ranjit's convoy come forward and outnumber the Iraqi soldiers. Ranjit lets them live and the convoy passes. They arrive in Jordan where planes from Air India and Indian Airlines would fly the refugees back to India. The Indians salute Ranjit as they board the planes that will take them home. Ranjit however begins to feel guilty over his attitude towards Indians as he sees the Indian Tricolour. The film ends with Ranjit indicating that he always believed India never did anything for its citizens, but after being rescued by the country he and a lot of Indians had disowned, he may not ever say that in the future again.

Cast

Production

Development

According to the director of the film, Raja Krishna Menon, he wrote the script after studying the whole incident of war and the predicament of Indians based in Kuwait.[6] He then approached Akshay Kumar for the role of a character based on Mathunny Mathews,[7] the real life businessman who spearheaded the evacuation efforts named 'Ranjit Katyal', to which he agreed to act and produce under his banner of Hari Om Entertainment.[6][22] Kumar felt that the film possessed significant offbeat potential,[23] with a good amount of "patriotism" and a reason to be a proud Indian.[17][24] He stated that Balraj Sahni's role in the film Waqt (1965) is his inspiration for the role where an earthquake shatters the peaceful life of Sahni's character.[25]

Due to the film's theme based on the rescue operation, the film was compared with Ben Affleck-starrer Argo (2012) sharing the similar storyline. However, Kumar stated that the film does not have any connection with it and is completely based on a true story.[26] He also said that comparing the film with Argo is an "insult" and it is not a matter of humour for Indians to achieve this end.[26] Kumar reported that his 80% profit share will be included in the film's budget and he would not charge fees for the same.[2][27]

Filming

Principal photography was started in February 2015.[28][29] The first schedule of the film was reportedly shot in Al-Hamra Palace Beach Resort in Ras Al Khaimah[30] and Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh in early March 2015.[31] The sets were re-created to depict Kuwait during 1990.[32] The second schedule of the film was shot in Bhuj, Gujarat[33] and Rajasthan, India.[34] Kumar and Purab Kohli reportedly learnt Arabic language for their roles.[35][36] Final portions of the film were completed with shooting of a music video for the song "Soch" in December 2015.[37]

Soundtrack

Airlift
Soundtrack album by
Amaal Mallik and Ankit Tiwari
Released24 December 2015 (2015-12-24)
StudioT-Series Studios
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length22:16
LanguageHindi
LabelT-Series

The soundtrack for Airlift was composed by Amaal Mallik except one song Dil Cheez Tujhe Dedi (music by Ankit Tiwari) (noted) and the lyrics were written by Kumaar.[38] The first song "Soch Na Sake" was released on T-Series official YouTube channel on 17 December 2015.[39][40] The full soundtrack album which includes 5 songs was released on 24 December 2015.[41][42] The music rights are acquired by T-Series.[43][44]

The song "Dil Cheez Tujhe Dedi" is largely inspired by Algerian singer Khaled's hit song from the 1990s "Didi".

Inspiration for the song is reported by News 18.

Track listing
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Soch Na Sake"Arijit Singh, Tulsi Kumar, Amaal Mallik04:41
2."Dil Cheez Tujhe Dedi" (Music by Ankit Tiwari)Ankit Tiwari, Arijit Singh04:31
3."Mera Nachan Nu"Brijesh Shandilya, Divya Kumar, Amaal Mallik03:42
4."Tu Bhoola Jise"K.K.04:31
5."Soch Na Sake" (Solo Version)Arijit Singh04:41
Total length:22:16

Release

Airlift was released on a total number of 1,800 to 2,000 screens in India.[45] Overseas, including Middle East, the film released with total number of 70 screens on 21 January.[46] The film was declared tax free by Uttar Pradesh and Bihar state governments on 28 January and 17 February 2016.[47][48][49][50]

Kuwaiti ban

While initially slated for release, Airlift was eventually banned from cinemas in Kuwait for undisclosed reasons.[51][52][53][54]

Reception

Box office

The film had its highest opening in Emirates with the amount of AED 900,000, breaking the records of widest released film.[55] The film earned ₹124 million (US$1.5 million) during its first day run on 2,500 screens in India.[56][57][clarification needed] Airlift collected ₹835 million (US$10 million) in total during the first week, reports film analyst Taran Adarsh.[58]

Critical reception

Bollywood Hungama gave the film four and a half stars out of five, stating "On the whole, Airlift is a classic film based on a real-life incident that is told extremely well on screen. It is surely one of the best films to come out this year and will pick up with a strong word of mouth. Just do not miss this one!"[59] Ananya Bhattacharya of India Today also rated the film four and half stars out of five, terming the film as "gritty, edge-of-the-seat and heart-stopping" and stated "Airlift is a tale of unmatched heroism. In all, Airlift is the story of unparalleled courage and unsung heroes. From unknown names in the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi to people who had their Indianness rearing its head from within just when it was required, Airlift is un-miss-able. Go watch it."[60] Srijana Mitra Das from The Times of India gave the film 4 stars out of 5 praising its direction and wrote "Airlift has one of Akshay Kumar's best performances – along with other sterling acts. Certain cameos are outstanding. Airlift's scale is impressive and editing (Hemanti Sarkar) deft."[61] Writing for NDTV, Saibal Chatterjee also gave it four stars and stated, "Airlift is a rare megastar vehicle that derives obvious benefits from the lead actor's magnetism without subjugating itself to the need to make the most of his presence in the cast. Airlift is a film that every Indian, and every Bollywood buff despairing for genuinely high-quality storytelling, must watch."[62] Shubha Shetty Saha writing for Mid-Day felt that the film is "Akshay Kumar's best till date," awarded the film four stars and commented, "Menon's deft execution of the plot in hand, crisp editing (Hemanti Sarkar), dialogues which are perfectly tailored for the script, and good cinematography (Priya Seth) make this film a must watch. Don't miss it."[63]

Anupama Chopra from Hindustan Times rated the film three and a half stars out of five, and described it as "Akshay Kumar's finest hour" and wrote "Big props to Akshay for putting his heart and might behind such an unconventional project, and to director Raja Krishna Menon for showcasing a story that had been lost on the sidelines. But Airlift never takes full flight because of the screenplay. Airlift is tonally inconsistent but the film is fuelled by a palpable sincerity."[64] Ritika Handoo of Zee News also gave it three and half stars out of five and termed Akshay as the "hero" of this film. She stated, "Akshay as Ranjit Katyal is the anchor of this ship called 'Indians' who need to sail smoothly ashore. The film shows how exactly the Indians in Kuwait were evacuated or rather 'airlifted' safely after Saddam Hussein led the Iraq war. Akshay is the hero because he played a man, who in real life, stretch his boundaries for saving humanity. Akshay's dedication and sincerity in portraying such roles with brilliance makes 'Airlift' have a safe landing even at the box office windows. A must watch for every Indian. Remember this will make you believe in what Indians can do when 'united'."[65] Shubhra Gupta in her review for The Indian Express also gave the film three and a half stars and noted " 'Airlift' plays it right, and gives us drama, even if things slow down and turn a trifle repetitious post interval. But overall, 'Airlift' is a good film, solidly plotted, well executed and well-acted. Just lose the songs, and the occasional underlined background music the next time."[66] Rajeev Masand from CNN-IBN gave the film three and half stars, saying "The occasional speed bumps aside, there are many moments that soar. Raja Menon turns an important story into a compelling film. Don't miss it."[67] Arkadev Ghoshal of IBTimes India gave it three and half stars and stated, "Airlift" is probably a good release for the weekend preceding Republic Day, when patriotic sentiments are high. However, one only wishes that Menon had given a little more attention to some other aspects of the film. He does show promise, so here's expecting better cinema from him."[68] Sukanya Verma of Rediff also gave it three and half stars and termed the film as "taut, tense, terrific" and summarised, "Oh what a beauty Akshay's performance is. Old-school gallantry, contemporary tone, his measured delivery is the soul of and savior in Airlift. Larger-than-life might is commonplace, but larger-than-life intensity is rare. Here, it is unmistakable, unceasing."[69] Raja Sen of Rediff.com gave a 3 out of 5 star rating explaining that "Films about genuinely unsung heroes are a fine thing, and Raja Krishna Menon's Airlift is a sincere effort to celebrate an insanely daunting task."[70]

Surabhi Redkar from Koimoi gave three stars praising Akshay's performance and noted, "Airlift is definitely a one-time watch since it is a story of an unsung hero and also India's proud moment. Akshay Kumar certainly gives an impressive performance." [71] Sarita A Tanwar of DNA also gave the film three stars and stated, "A spirited effort and Akshay Kumar's performance are the highest points of 'Airlift'."[72] Subhash K. Jha of SKJBollywoodNews also gave the film four and half stars and stated, "Airlift is first and foremost a heart-stopping thriller. It's the story of a man whose heroism is awakened in the hour of crisis."[73]

Historical accuracy

The movie was criticized for oversimplifying the complex operation of the airlift.[74] The portrayal of diplomats and bureaucrats in the film was criticized by present and former officials in the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. K.P. Fabian, who was the Joint Secretary of the Gulf division at the Ministry during the Gulf War in 1990, accused the film of deliberately spreading misinformation about the role of government officials at the time.[75]

Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted that the film was great entertainment but short on facts while the Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao tweeted that the film fell completely short in its research on the role of the Ministry in the '90–'91 Gulf War.[76]

Accolades

Award Category Recipient Result Ref(s)
Stardust Awards Stardust Award for Actor of the Year – Male Akshay Kumar Nominated [77]
Stardust Award for Best Supporting Actor Purab Kohli Nominated
Stardust Award For Best Screenplay Raja Krishna Menon, Ritesh Nair, Rahul Nangia Nominated
Stardust Award For Best Story Raja Krishna Menon Nominated
Stardust Award for Best Film of the Year Airlift Nominated
Zee Cine Awards Zee Cine Award for Best Actor – Male Akshay Kumar Nominated [78][79]
Zee Cine Critics Award for Best Actor – Male Akshay Kumar Nominated
Zee Cine Award for Best Story Raja Krishna Menon Nominated
Zee Cine Critics Award for Best Film Airlift Nominated
Zee Cine Award for Best Background Score Airlift Won
9th Mirchi Music Awards Listeners' Choice Song of the Year "Soch Na Sake" Won [80]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "AIRLIFT (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d "Akshay Kumar to charge 80 percent of profit as remuneration for Airlift". BH News Network. Bollywood Hungama. 4 March 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  3. ^ "Airlift Grosses over 300 Crores Worldwide: Box Office Report". Koimoi.com. 26 February 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  4. ^ Sonup Sahadevan (25 November 2015). "When Akshay Kumar cried without using glycerine in 'Airlift'". The Indian Express. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Toyota Sunny, unsung hero of Kuwait war who inspired the film 'Airlift', passes away". www.thenewsminute.com. 21 May 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d Amrita Tanna (19 January 2016). "Raja Krishna Menon on 'Airlift': "First time you'll see a vulnerable Akshay Kumar"". Media 24x7. Archived from the original on 20 January 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  7. ^ a b c "Meet Sunny Matthew: The real life hero who inspired Airlift's Ranjit Katyal – Firstpost". Firstpost. 27 January 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  8. ^ Avinash Lohana (24 December 2015). "Akshay readily agreed for 'Airlift'". The Times of India. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  9. ^ "Akshay Kumar to not charge a penny for 'Airlift'". The Indian Express. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  10. ^ "Check out: Akshay Kumar's Airlift commences shooting". BH News Network. Bollywood Hungama. 23 February 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  11. ^ Ishita Blaggan (24 February 2015). "First Look: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur in Airlift". NDTV Network. NDTV. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  12. ^ E 24/7 (15 March 2015). "'Airlift': Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur cook-up storm in Ras Al Khaimah". Emirates 24/7. Retrieved 22 January 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ "Akshay Kumar shoots for 'Airlift' at Ras Al Khaimah in Kuwait". DC Webdesk. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  14. ^ Manjusha Radhakrishnan (21 March 2015). "Akshay Kumar's 'Airlift' in UAE: tabloid! on set". GN Webdesk. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  15. ^ Kasmin Fernandes (30 January 2015). "Akshay Kumar to start shooting Airlift next month". The Times Group. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  16. ^ Priya Guptha (19 August 2014). "Airlift: Akshay Kumar's next a thriller of the biggest human evacuation". The Times Group. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  17. ^ a b "Do watch 'Airlift', you'll feel proud to be an Indian: Akshay Kumar". CNN-IBN. Indo-Asian News Service. 13 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  18. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 November 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. ^ India TV Entertainment Desk (21 January 2016). "Know about the antagonist of 'Airlift' Major Khalaf Bin Zayd". India TV. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  20. ^ "Lena heads to Rajasthan for Akshay Kumar film". Sanjit Sidhardhan. 26 October 2015.
  21. ^ "Pooja Nair – IMDb". Internet Movie Database.
  22. ^ Avinash Lohana (24 December 2015). "Akshay readily agreed for 'Airlift'". The Times of India. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  23. ^ Mail Today (17 January 2016). "Akshay Kumar and co-star Nimrat Kaur in Airlift mode". India Today. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  24. ^ "'Airlift' trailer: True events and patriotism makes it the most awaited film of this season". IBN desk. CNN-IBN. 2 January 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  25. ^ Raghuvendra Singh (20 January 2016). "It's an honour to work in a film like Airlift". Filmfare. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  26. ^ a b "Insulting to compare 'Airlift' with 'Argo': Akshay Kumar". The Indian Express. Press Trust of India. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  27. ^ "Akshay Kumar to not charge a penny for 'Airlift'". The Indian Express. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  28. ^ "Check out: Akshay Kumar's Airlift commences shooting". BH News Network. Bollywood Hungama. 23 February 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  29. ^ Ishita Blaggan (24 February 2015). "First Look: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur in Airlift". NDTV Network. NDTV. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  30. ^ E 24/7 (15 March 2015). "'Airlift': Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur cook-up storm in Ras Al Khaimah". Emirates 24/7. Retrieved 22 January 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  31. ^ "Akshay Kumar shoots for 'Airlift' at Ras Al Khaimah in Kuwait". DC Webdesk. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  32. ^ Manjusha Radhakrishnan (21 March 2015). "Akshay Kumar's 'Airlift' in UAE: tabloid! on set". GN Webdesk. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  33. ^ Kasmin Fernandes (30 January 2015). "Akshay Kumar to start shooting Airlift next month". The Times Group. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  34. ^ Asira Tarannum (18 October 2015). "Airlift preps for Diwali shoot". The Asian Age. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  35. ^ "Purab Kohli learns Arabic during 'Airlift' shoot". The Indian Express. Indo-Asian News Service. 10 December 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  36. ^ Priya, Gupta (27 February 2015). "Akshay Kumar learns to speak Arabic for Airlift". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |archive-date= (help) Alt URL Archived 24 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  37. ^ Pramod Gaikwad (7 December 2015). "Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur wrap 'Airlift' with a romantic song 'Soch'". The Indian Express. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  38. ^ Joginder, Tuteja (26 November 2015). "Bhushan Kumar brings on the music for Akshay Kumar's thrilling drama Airlift". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  39. ^ "'SOCH NA SAKE' Video". T-Series. YouTube. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  40. ^ Nilanjana, Basu (18 December 2015). "Akshay Kumar Travels to Trouble in New Airlift Song". NDTV News Networks. NDTV. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  41. ^ "Airlift (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – EP by Ankit Tiwari & Amaal Mallik on iTunes". iTunes Store. 24 December 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  42. ^ "Airlift, Airlift songs, Hindi Album Airlift 2015". Saavn. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  43. ^ "Airlift – T-Series". T-Series. Archived from the original on 24 November 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  44. ^ "Airlift (2016) Tracklist". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  45. ^ Gaurav Dubey (22 January 2016). "Box office: 'Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3' seems to have an edge over 'Airlift'". Mid-Day.
  46. ^ "Akshay Kumar's 'Airlift' to release across 72 screens in Middle East". The Indian Express. Indo-Asian News Service. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  47. ^ "'Airlift' declared tax free in UP, 'Ranjit Katiyal' thanks Akhilesh Yadav on Twitter". Network 18. 28 January 2016. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  48. ^ "Airlift starring Akshay Kumar declared tax free in Uttar Pradesh". The Indian Express. 28 January 2016.
  49. ^ "Bihar govt exempts entertainment tax on Bollywood film ' Airlift' for a year. – Times of India ►". The Times of India.
  50. ^ "Bihar cabinet declares 'Airlift' tax free". CNN-IBN. 17 February 2016.
  51. ^ "Kuwait National Cinema Company". webserver2.kncc.com.
  52. ^ Zaheen Mistry. "Update: Airlift banned in Kuwait". TheTrendIn. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  53. ^ "'Airlift' movie banned in Kuwait". Exotic Kuwait. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016.
  54. ^ Mano Technologies. "Kuwait Local – Airlift Banned in Kuwait". kuwaitlocal.com. Archived from the original on 28 January 2016.
  55. ^ Ankita Mehta (22 January 2016). "'Airlift' box office collection: Akshay Kumar starrer breaks records in UAE-GCC; opens well in India". IBT Media.
  56. ^ "Airlift box office collections: Akshay Kumar film earns Rs. 12.35 cr. on opening day". Express Webdesk. 23 January 2016.
  57. ^ "Airlift box office collection: Akshay-Nimrat's film opens to a good start". IT Desk. 23 January 2016.
  58. ^ @taran_adarsh (29 January 2016). "#Airlift Fri 12.35 cr, Sat 14.60 cr, Sun 17.35 cr, Mon 10.40 cr, Tue 17.80 cr, Wed 6 cr, Thu 5 cr. Total: ₹ 83.50 cr. India biz. EXCELLENT!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  59. ^ "Airlift Review". Bollywood Hungama. 22 January 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  60. ^ Bhattacharya, Ananya (22 January 2016). "Airlift movie review: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur's spectacular tale of heroism". India Today. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  61. ^ Das, Srijana Mitra (22 January 2016). "Airlift Movie Review". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  62. ^ Chatterjee, Saibal (22 January 2016). "Airlift Movie Review". NDTV. Archived from the original on 24 January 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  63. ^ Saha, Shubha Shetty (22 January 2016). "'Airlift' – Movie Review". Mid-Day. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  64. ^ Chopra, Anupama (23 January 2016). "Airlift review by Anupama Chopra: It's Akshay Kumar's finest hour". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  65. ^ Handoo, Ritika (22 January 2016). "Airlift movie review: Akshay Kumar anchors gripping real evacuation on 'reel'!". Zee News. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  66. ^ Gupta, Shubhra (23 January 2016). "Airlift review: Akshay's film is well executed and well-acted". The Indian Express. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  67. ^ Masand, Rajeev (22 January 2016). "'Airlift' review: The film turns the real-life story into a one-man mission". CNN-IBN. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  68. ^ Ghoshal, Arkadev (22 January 2016). "Airlift movie review: A good story that gets good lift from acting, but not enough". IBTimes India. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  69. ^ Verma, Sukanya (22 January 2016). "Review: Airlift is taut, tense, terrific!". Rediff. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  70. ^ Sen, Raja. "Airlift Review: Akshay is impressive". Rediff.com. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  71. ^ Redkar, Surabhi (22 January 2016). "Airlift Review". Koimoi. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  72. ^ Tanwar, Sarita A (22 January 2016). "'Airlift' review: The very real story of an ordinary man being pushed to heroism". DNA India. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  73. ^ "Airlift Movie Review: A heart-stopping thriller!". SKJ Bollywood News. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016.
  74. ^ McCahill, Mike (25 January 2016). "Airlift review – India's historic Kuwait evacuation retold as a one-man mission". The Guardian. The Guardian. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  75. ^ "'Airlift' spreads misinformation". The Hindu.
  76. ^ "Why Diplomats, Officials Are Upset With Akshay Kumar's 'Airlift'".
  77. ^ "Nominations for Stardust Awards 2016". Bollywood Hungama. 19 December 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  78. ^ "Nominations for Zee Cine Awards 2017". Bollywood Hungama. 2 March 2017.
  79. ^ Ghosh, Samrudhi (12 March 2017). "Zee Cine Awards 2017: Big B-Salman, Alia-Anushka bag top awards". India Today.
  80. ^ "MMA Mirchi Music Awards". MMAMirchiMusicAwards. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Airlift_(film)&oldid=1123062890"