So, Airlift has one of Akshay Kumar’s best performances - along with other sterling acts. Rich Indian-origin businessman Ranjit Katyal ( Akshay) loves profits and dislikes the idea of India.
But Ranjit’s golden life in the desert crumbles when Iraqi forces invade Kuwait. Suddenly, people are savagely shot in the streets, houses looted, buildings blown up, tanks taking over, choppers hovering maliciously amidst minarets.
Airlift features Akshay at his best - based on real-life characters, there’s little khiladi-wala swag in Akshay’s performance and more mature control. As Ranjit, who goes from protecting his kin to his countrymen, Akshay does a polished, restrained, powerful job. Nimrat conveys brittle edginess - she asks Ranjit, "Ye Indian-Indian khelna, kya drama ho raha hai? " - but grows into a woman who loves her husband’s humanitarian heart.