Akshay Kumar in a still from Airlift.
Mumbai:
The largest civil evacuation in history is by Air India and very little is known about this as far as Indians go. This piece of India's history is now a film and will release on January 22, starring Akshay Kumar and Nimrat Kaur. In an informal meeting with the media in Mumbai on November 24, Akshay shared why the 1990 Airlift by Air India and Indian Airlines should make it to the textbooks in India.
"This episode should be in textbooks. When we talk about history, we don't mention this, as there was a big political reason behind it. That time we were close to Saddam Hussein and we wanted to keep low profile and so all these things were hidden," he said. (Also Read: Akshay Explains Why Airlift is 'Completely Different' From Argo)
Akshay, who starred in Baby this year, and has made it a habit to do at least one thriller every year, was surprised when he first heard the story.
"This is a real story. This story was hidden from all of us. India did a big thing of bringing back close to 1,70,000 Indians and it is there in the Guinness Book of World Record. It is the biggest airlift evacuation done by any country," he said.
In Airlift, Akshay plays the role of an influential businessman in 1990, when Iraq invaded Kuwait and more than one lakh Indians were evacuated from a Kuwait under attack.
Akshay has made it a habit to do at least one patriotic film every year. After Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty in 2014, Akshay did Baby this year. "These are films that I want to do. I am in a place where I can choose my films and this way I get to do all kinds of cinema," he said.
These are definitely the best days for Akshay, who remains one of the few stars who are registering hits at the box office apart from the Khans. Three of his last four releases have been successful at the box office. And that's a lot to say in an industry that has recorded more flops this year than blockbusters.
"This episode should be in textbooks. When we talk about history, we don't mention this, as there was a big political reason behind it. That time we were close to Saddam Hussein and we wanted to keep low profile and so all these things were hidden," he said. (Also Read: Akshay Explains Why Airlift is 'Completely Different' From Argo)
Akshay, who starred in Baby this year, and has made it a habit to do at least one thriller every year, was surprised when he first heard the story.
"This is a real story. This story was hidden from all of us. India did a big thing of bringing back close to 1,70,000 Indians and it is there in the Guinness Book of World Record. It is the biggest airlift evacuation done by any country," he said.
In Airlift, Akshay plays the role of an influential businessman in 1990, when Iraq invaded Kuwait and more than one lakh Indians were evacuated from a Kuwait under attack.
Akshay has made it a habit to do at least one patriotic film every year. After Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty in 2014, Akshay did Baby this year. "These are films that I want to do. I am in a place where I can choose my films and this way I get to do all kinds of cinema," he said.
These are definitely the best days for Akshay, who remains one of the few stars who are registering hits at the box office apart from the Khans. Three of his last four releases have been successful at the box office. And that's a lot to say in an industry that has recorded more flops this year than blockbusters.
