Airlift has much to sing about

Set against the backdrop of the 1990 Gulf war, Nikhil Advani’s Airlift is based on the evacuation of Indians from Kuwait. So when we learned of a song sequence being part of the film, we couldn’t help asking the cast on location, what a happy song was doing in a war movie.

Akshay Kumar who plays a businessman in the film said, “The man whose character I play had actually thrown a party and invited a few singers over before disaster struck.” He still resides in Kuwait and spoke to the production team, giving them details of the night before the attacks.

Nimrat Kaur adds, “The song shows a time when things were fine, before any attacks had taken place.”

Akshay who is mostly seen in comic or action roles, says that while the genres are exciting, a role like this is what challenges him. “I enjoy everything —comedy and action are comfortable but this is a challenging role,” he says.