Airlift

Airlift is set in Kuwait in August 1990, when Iraqi forces invade the country. Ranjit Katyal, an Indian businessman who has built a comfortable and influential life there, finds himself responsible for the roughly 170,000 Indian nationals suddenly trapped in the occupied territory. Torn between protecting his own family and the employees of his company, he becomes the spokesman for the stranded community and pushes the Indian government to organize their rescue. The film is an action drama drawing on the historical evacuation operation that followed the invasion.

The film was directed by Raja Menon, released in January 2016 and running 126 minutes. Akshay Kumar plays Ranjit Katyal, with Nimrat Kaur as his wife Amrita, and Inaamulhaq, Prakash Belawadi, Kumud Mishra and Feryna Wazheir in supporting roles. The screenplay was written by Suresh Nair and Ritesh Shah, and the producers were Nikkhil Advani, Bhushan Kumar and Monisha Advani. Airlift was Menon's first feature before Chef the following year.

Made for about 4 million USD, the film took roughly 32 million USD worldwide, a strong return relative to its budget. On IMDb it holds 7.9/10 from around 61,000 votes, while on TMDB it has 7.1/10 from roughly 225 votes. A critics' rating of 6.9/10 from 13 reviews places it somewhat below the much larger audience sample on IMDb.