A Film that makes Bollwood and India Proud

Rating: 6/10 (1 February 2016)

In 1991 Iraq invaded Kuwait and nearly 175,000 Indians were left high and dry, before being brought to India, in what is regarded as the largest war-time evacuation of its kind. Airlift narrates the story of events leading up to this evacuation. It shows the Indian Government in rather poor light, which is probably exaggerated under cinematic license. Notwithstanding that it is a very credible story, crisply told and tautly executed. It is not easy to narrate events that go back 25 years, and that too featuring a foreign land; this is where the film scores very high. Top marks for the crowd sequences. The stoicism with which most Indians accept their situation is brought out exceedingly well. Another remarkable thing is the film's economy of script; a lot is conveyed through looks and gestures. Though there are many characters, the director does well to keep the limelight on Akshay Kumar, who is intense without being melodramatic. The urgency and emergency that he manages to deliver are very palpable. The film also makes us look at our countrymen laboring in the Gulf with more sympathy.
Finally it is a feel-good film; a film that both Bollywood and the country can be proud of.