Overview
A gripping tale of survival and courage amidst chaos and conflict.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- gritty
- tense
- patriotic
- historical drama night
- patriotic movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the gripping true-story drama for its direction, scale, editing, patriotic emotional force, and Akshay Kumar's performance, while noting screenplay limitations.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Ranjit Katyal begins as a callous businessman but becomes the spokesperson and organizer for more than 170,000 stranded Indians.
The story emphasizes stranded civilians and overlooked officials whose coordinated efforts enable the evacuation.
The central conflict revolves around organizing a mass evacuation amid invasion, occupation, and diplomatic uncertainty.
The impressive scale, cinematography, and Akshay Kumar's star presence frame the evacuation as a cinematic national achievement.
Films like Airlift, and why
The Finest Hours
shared true-events war evacuation drama, civilian peril, and heroic leadership
Dunkirk
shared large-scale wartime rescue mission, suspenseful logistics, and ordinary people confronting military violence
Kesari
shared Indian historical action-drama treatment of national crisis, sacrifice, and collective courage
Movie Details
- Director
- Raja Menon
- Release Date
- 2016-01-22
- Runtime
- 126 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (225)
Cast
- Akshay Kumar
- Nimrat Kaur
- Inaamulhaq
- Prakash Belawadi
- Kumud Mishra
- Feryna Wazheir
- Purab Kohli
- Lenaa
- Ninad Kamat
- Gunjan Malhotra
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Airlift about?
- A self-serving businessman is transformed into the determined civilian leader of a massive Indian evacuation during Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.
- What is Airlift like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Airlift as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Airlift violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Airlift as moderate.
- What did critics think of Airlift?
- Critics broadly praised the gripping true-story drama for its direction, scale, editing, patriotic emotional force, and Akshay Kumar's performance, while noting screenplay limitations.
- Which films are like Airlift?
- Films with a similar feel include The Finest Hours, Dunkirk, and Kesari.
- How long is Airlift?
- Airlift runs 126 minutes.
- Where can I watch Airlift?
- In United States, Airlift is available to rent or buy from Google Play Movies, YouTube.
