Exclusive Interview of Akshay Kumar
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Akshay Kumar scored a massive hit with his first movie of the year Airlift, which was based on a real evacuation operation from Kuwait during the 1990 Iraqi invasion. Kumar said he immediately agreed to do the film because it told an important real story and human drama that was hidden in history. Although his character was based partially on businessman Ranjit Katyal who led the evacuation, Kumar did not meet or prepare by meeting him, instead relying on the director's research. Kumar was happy with Airlift's box office success and believes it is a film everyone should watch to learn about this important historical event that is not well known.
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Exclusive Interview of Akshay Kumar
- 1. Exclusive Interview AskhayKumar AboutAirliftandhis FutureProjects Here is an exclusive chit chat with Bollywood Superstar Akshay Kumar who scored a massive hit with his first movie of the year Airlift. How did Airlift happen for you? The director Raja Menon and Nikhil Advani, who has produced the film, came to me with the script. I immediately said yes, because it’s a real story and a human drama. It’s a story that was hidden in the recesses of history. I loved the idea of bringing it out to the audiences and show them what exactly happened in 1990. Your role is based on the life of Ranjit Katyal, who is a businessman in Kuwait. Could you tell us more about that? That’s true but I cannot talk about him. He’s still alive and a big businessman today, living in Kuwait. But I didn’t meet him. Raja Menon met him and spoke to him over the phone. But my character isn’t completely based on one person. There were three or four people like him, who were involved in the operation. We’ve combined all their stories for the character but Ranjit Katyal was the main guy. We’ve changed his name in the film. I should bring to your notice that in 1990, he was a multimillionaire but he lost everything, got everybody back to India from Kuwait and today, he’s a multimillionaire again. He’s earned back all his money. How did you prepare for your role? I didn’t do any kind of preparation for Airlift. I grew my beard. When you read a script, you feel and you go on the set and realise what they must have felt. Main Kuwait toh jane se raha 38 39FEBUARY 2016 | WWW.CINESPRINT.COMWWW.CINESPRINT.COM |FEBUARY 2016
- 2. (I’m not jumping on a flight to Kuwait); neither will I tell anyone to conduct a bomb attack so I could feel what they went through. I’d once watched Balraj Sahni’s Waqt and I can never forget that the happy family in the film experiences an earthquake and their lives are left in shambles. Everything is gone. That movie stuck in my mind. The same thing happened with Ranjit Katyal. Lots of people lost their lives and you know, the biggest trouble was that the Iraqis were killing a lot of Kuwaitis. And they use to come to Indians and ask, “Kuwaiti? Show me your passport?” But when you work outside India, you cannot keep your passport with you. You have to give it to your boss. So they use to kill Indians, too. Did you know about the evacuation when it happened? I entered the industry in the same year, 1990, when this happened. I was unaffected by what was happening at that time, but when I got to know about it recently, it’s unbelievable. They have so many videos of it also. Do you think Airlift is a film every one should watch? People should take their children to watch this film and this episode should be in school textbooks because when we talk about history, they don’t mention the operation. There’s a big political reason why they didn’t talk about it. At the time, we were very close to Saddam Hussein and we wanted to keep very low profile, which is why the whole thing was hidden. There was only one article written about it. It’s an honour to do a film like Airlift. We hear you’ve learned Arabic especially for the film… I have spoken little Arabic in it, but I must say that it’s a very hard language. It was not easy for me to pick up. When they gave me the lines, I had to memorise and then say them. But if you ask me to repeat them now, I can’t. What was it like working with Nimrat Kaur? Nimrat has worked in Hollywood. So who’s the bigger star - me or her? (Laughs). She has done some of the scenes so well. She is an international actress. After Airlift, you’ll be seen in Housefull 3 and Neeraj Pandey’s Rustam. Tell us more about them. Rustam, is similar to Airlift, in the sense that it is also based on a real character and his story. I enjoy everything that’s why I’m signing it and doing it. Action comedies are comfortable for me but an all- out action film is challenging for me. So, I enjoy doing that. While Rustam is a challenging role, Housefull 3 is a comfortable one. Are you happy the way Airlift is performing at the box-office? Yes, I am very happy with the film’s success and I am glad the film has huge figures already. Airlift is a film that everyone should watch. Yes, I am very happy with the film’s success and I am glad the film has huge figures already. Airlift is a film that everyone should watch. Exclusive Interview 40 41FEBUARY 2016 | WWW.CINESPRINT.COMWWW.CINESPRINT.COM |FEBUARY 2016