Akshay Kumar’s Airlift was initially offered to Irrfan Khan.
Released in 2016, Airlift is one of Akshay Kumar’s most popular films. Directed by Raja Krishna Menon, the movie is a historical drama based on the real-life evacuation of Indians from Kuwait during the 1990 Iraqi invasion.
But here’s an interesting fact, the film was initially offered to Irrfan Khan. Yes, you heard that correctly! The producer of Airlift recently shared with Galatta Plus that the director had originally intended to cast Irrfan for the role.
In a interview, Airlift producer Nikkhil Advani shared that Irrfan Khan was initially the first choice for the film. However, the late actor decided not to take on the role. In an interview with Galatta Plus, Nikkhil revealed that director Raja Menon initially wanted to cast Irrfan Khan for Airlift. The producer was on board with this decision, as Irrfan was already involved in his directorial project, D-Day.
He said, “I told them I would set up the meeting with Irrfan, and Irrfan overheard me. He told me, ‘Boss, mere sath mat kar ye picture (Don’t do this film with me). It is a fantastic film but don’t do it with me because you will not get the budget. Go to Akshay. You know Akshay.”
After Irrfan suggested Akshay Kumar’s name, Nikkhil Advani met Akshay but initially pitched a different film. Akshay, however, dismissed it as “rubbish.” It was then that Nikkhil shared the script of Airlift with him, explaining that Irrfan had decided not to take the role. Nikkhil also mentioned to Akshay that the film was a serious one, and the director, Raja Menon, wanted to conduct workshops for it.
Nikkhil recalled, “He told me that he wanted to do it. I told him Raja doesn’t want you, but Akshay still agreed to do the film. He sat through multiple workshops.” Despite initial hesitations, Akshay went on to star in the 2016 film Airlift, which received positive reviews from both audiences and critics.
Airlift, starring Akshay Kumar and Nimrat Kaur in lead roles, tells the story of a businessman who helps evacuate Indians from Kuwait during the Iraqi invasion in 1990. In the film, Akshay portrays Ranjit Katyal, a Kuwait-based businessman, while Nimrat plays his wife, Amrita Katyal.
