Director-producer Nikkhil Advani recently revealed in an interview that Irrfan Khan was the first choice for the lead role in Airlift, however, the actor suggested Akshay Kumar’s name instead. The film’s director, Raja Menon, wanted Irrfan for the role and wasn’t keen on having Akshay in it as it demanded workshops and rehearsals.

In an interview with Galatta Plus, Nikkhil said, “Airlift’s director Raja Menon wanted Irrfan, which was fine for us because he was working on D-Day. I told them I would set up the meeting with Irrfan, and Irrfan overheard me. He told me, ‘Boss, mere sath mat kar ye picture (Don’t do this film with me). It is a fantastic film but don’t do it with me because you will not get the budget. Go to Akshay. You know Akshay.'”

Nikkhil added, “So, I went to Akshay with another film, and he called that rubbish. Then I narrated Airlift and told him that Irrfan didn’t want to do it. He asked me, ‘Why have you come to me then?’ I told him, ‘You can’t do it because it is a very serious film and you will have to memorise all the lines, and the director Raja Menon wants to do workshops.’ He told me that he wanted to do it. I told him Raja doesn’t want you, but Akshay did the film. He sat for workshops after workshops.”

Airlift tells a true story of Iraq’s invasion over Kuwait in 1990, which left over 1,70,000 Indians stranded in the conflicted region. Akshay’s character in the film arranges for transporting his countrymen back to India. The film released in 2016 and received good reviews from critics while also becoming a box-office success.