In August 1990, an estimated 170,000 Indians were stranded in no-man’s-land after Iraqi tanks rolled into their adopted home of Kuwait. Frantic backroom negotiations followed between the Indian and Iraqi authorities; eventually, 488 Air India flights were cleared to leave for Bombay from near neighbour Jordan. To this day, the action remains the biggest civilian evacuation in aviation history, and a source of great – if underreported – pride to the parties involved. New movie Airlift, however, simplifies this incredibly complex operation to become little more than a vehicle for one man’s redemption.
That man is Ranjit Katyal (Akshay Kumar), fictional composite of several businessmen then operating in the Gulf. Early scenes in Raja Krishna Menon’s film go out of their way to ensure even the most dunderheaded of multiplex nacho-guzzlers will understand just what a wretch he is. He ignores his wife’s pleas not to drink too much; he upbraids his driver for listening to backward Bollywood hits. We get the idea pretty quickly: Ranjit is the picture of the bad Indian who’s forsaken his homeland in pursuit of bigger bucks – a sharp-suited mercenary who needs shaking from his complacency.
He will be, and the writers sound their cleverest note as the Iraqis invade. Generally keen to self-identify as a forward-thinking Kuwaiti – the pal of princes, a chum to CEOs – Ranjit is only too quick to wave his Indian passport, and thus claim immunity, when the invaders threaten his upward mobility. As this retelling has it, seeing their underlings shot was just the jolt callous penny-pinchers like Ranjit needed to redirect their resources towards getting their countrymen home. Yet while Menon has time to finesse this transition – for two hours, we’re watching characters getting nowhere by boat and bus – it’s never remotely convincing.
‘Airlift’ Made Me Proud Of Being Indian, But Also Left Me Feeling ‘Appalled’ And ‘Useless’
Yeh sub news main mein dekhta tha, par aisa kabhi nahi laga ki ek din hum bhi news material bun jaate (I used to see all this in the news, but I never thought that one day we would ourselves become news),” said Poonawala (played by Kaizaad Kotwal) in the recently released movie Airlift, starring Akshay Kumar, as Ranjit Katyal, the protagonist, and Nimrat Kaur, as Amrita Katyal.
I will not waste any time in describing the movie because the true description of this marvelous piece of art can be done justice only when witnessed by one oneself. To me, this is a movie that is a portrayal of a plethora of character traits like pride, dignity, respect, courage, intrepidity, love and sympathy for those around you, trust and a burning want to live another day, to survive and be rescued, saved, airlifted.
This movie has truly succeeded in creating a conflict in my mind. On one hand, I am proud of being an Indian. Because we Indians executed the world’s largest evacuation. Because we saved 1,70,000 people of our country. Because we cared so much for our people. And mostly, because we Indians stood by each other when we really, desperately needed that moral support and help. On the other hand, I am appalled by the moral slackness showed by people, where one human doesn’t stand for a fellow human, where one human will readily shoot another with a gun, rape another with their hands and bodies, run over the other with tanks, steal another’s food, where one human will forget their humanity and only see the futile aspects of life which, sadly, do include even nationality.
A common government ‘babu’, Sanjeev Kohli without having known any of those people, fought with the Indian government, persuaded pilots, woke up in the middle of the night, and worked relentlessly, just to save those people, even when all the credit would be taken by a useless, good-for-nothing politician. In this movie, a businessman, a man who could have escaped from the terrors of that war, the Iraqi soldiers and the cheap, contemptible, immoral politics, and the entire conflict itself, stayed behind and stood alongside humanity. And I am not saying he took the side of Indians. No, I am saying humanity. Not just because he helped save a Kuwaiti, but because he didn’t see her as Kuwaiti even when the people around him did. He saw or rather perceived her to be, more than that, to be a mother, a woman, a person who was suffering just like he was, and most importantly, a human. He saw beyond the confines of seeing people by their nationality. He saw beyond and above futile labels and names given to people on the basis of their place of birth, skin colour or mother tongue. And he could have sent her away, he could have easily given her into the hands of the Iraqi soldiers at the checkpoint when her identity was revealed, where she would have been raped and stripped off her dignity, her pride, and her humanity. But he did not; he courageously fought for her life, indirectly fighting for humanity.
There are some movies that actually make me want to respect and honour the story and the way it is portrayed, and this was definitely one of those.
It had me in tears, because the country whose government I believed to be redundant and slack, today in my eyes did more than any other government.
Although this movie does revolve around Indians, it also gives a wide vision of the utter plight and predicament that any country would go through during war. This was the story of Kuwait, what happened when the vile, inhumane, president of Iraq, the ‘Great’ Saddam Hussein, launched a surprise attack on Kuwait, killing civilians and damaging property, and life. It may be local in its setting, but it is global in its reach. Kuwaiti’s are not Palestinians, but they know how it feels when one’s land is stolen from them. So do Syrians, Yemenis, and Afghanis.
I write this to honour each person who was affected physically, mentally or emotionally during this invasion. Rather, this story is for humanity, so I write this in honour of all those affected by the game of monopoly in political, geographic, or economic interests, and all those affected by war.
My heart goes out to the girls who are groped by soldiers like Poonawala’s daughter was when the Iraqi soldiers came to loot the Indian camp, or when the soldier said, “let my boys have some fun” when the Kuwaiti woman was taken away from the protagonist Ranjit Katyal. My heart goes out to those children who have to listen to the noise of bombs exploding, or guns shots echoing instead of lullabies, and play with bullets instead of toys. My heart goes out to each man who has to act like the man of the family and always keep a strong façade for his family, to prevent them from loosing hope. My heart goes out to those who grieve for their lost ones, and mostly my heart goes out for humanity because this is what we have been reduced to.
This movie is a must see because it makes you feel like a proud Indian, albeit a useless human being and also utterly fortunate for not having to experience the events depicted first hand.
Nimrat Kour is the daughter of Major Bhupinder Singh
The lead actress Nimrit Kaur in “Airlift” movie is daughter of late Major Bhupinder Singh (Shaurya Chakra) from Engineer Corps 64 ER who was abducted on 17 jan 1994 by Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists and brutally killed after 6 days when Nimrat Kaur was just 11 yrs….
Must see the movie. Encourage the Martyrs daughter and publice it..
Mahavir Chakra (MVC)
Awardee: Maj Bhupinder Singh, MVC
Gazette Notification: 127 Pres/65,16-10-65
Operation: 1965 Riddle
Date of Award: 11 Oct 1965
Citation:
Major Bhupinder Singh of Hodson’s Horse led his squadron with distinction in the battle of Phillora and Sordreke in Pakistan between 11 and 19 September 1965. With skilful deployment and bold action, his squadron was able to cause large-scale destruction of Pakistani tanks and other equipment. Although his tank was hit on several occasions, he continued to remain in effective command and by several acts of personal gallantry inspired his men to fight courageously On 19 September in the battle of Sordreke his tank was hit and caught fire. While abandoning the tank he was burnt severely and though evacuated subsequently died.
Major Bhupinder Singh displayed great determination and courage under heavy enemy fire by continuing to fight with only two tanks after most of his tanks had been disabled. He had set an inspiring example of personal sacrifice and bravery in the best traditions of the Indian Army.
Nimrat Kaur: My father was killed by the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen for not conceding to their demands in Kashmir
- Times. Excerpts from our conversation.You became a star with The Lunchbox. Tell us about your background?
I am a sardarni and was born in Pilani, Rajasthan, but my father was in the army, so we travelled everywhere. I changed schools and friends every 2-3 years, so I find it very fascinating when people tell me that they have lived in the same house for 30-40 years. As an army child, you don’t have the luxury of throwing tantrums and you learn to make good with what you have. It makes you into an adjusting person. My father was very intelligent as he never put us in army schools till he was alive. He wanted us to study in convents or public schools as he wanted us to also be exposed to the civilian life not protected by the army. Since I was academically strong, I was fortunate to get admissions to schools in every city.
READ: Nimrat Kaur: Was intimidated by Akshay Kumar in ‘Airlift’
Is there a city where you feel a sense of belonging?
Patiala. I was there for very important 3-4 years of my life. I remember every thing about Patiala. There was a market called AC market, which had an escalator so I would keep going up and down on a loop. That was the first time I had been on an escalator. Patiala for me is Punjab, very endearing. It was also the last time that we were all there as a family with my father before he went to Kashmir. He was a young army major, an engineer posted on the border roads of the army in a place called Verinag (if you travel to Srinagar from Jammu, there is a tunnel called Jawahar Tunnel that comes on the way. And the first valley after that is Verinag). Kashmir was not a family station, so we continued living in Patiala when he went to Kashmir. We were on our winter vacation in January 1994 and visiting our father in Kashmir, when the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen kidnapped him from his place of work and after seven days, terminated him. They had made some ridiculous demands of some terrorists to be released that he obviously did not agree to. He was just 44 when he died. We got the news and flew back with his body to Delhi and I saw his body for the first time only in Delhi. We then moved to Noida and lived with my nana-nani for a few months before my mother bought her own place (with my father’s pension money and our savings) and we moved out. We never went back to Patiala again except after a few months to pick up our luggage. The government gave us a piece of land in Rajasthan and my father was posthumously awarded the Shaurya Chakra.
How difficult was the transition for you post moving to Noida?
There was extreme discomfort. My life had turned upside down. I had no idea of what to take up and how to address life. My nana-nani became my surrogate parents. But my mum is very strong and that helped us pick up the pieces and start a new life. And her spirit was always about moving forward and never about self-pity. I finished schooling from DPS Noida, did my BCom Honours from SRCC and then, I just knew that I could study no more. I am told that right from when I was just 40 days old, I had started imitating my nanaji. And imitation is the first seed of acting, they say. I have always loved being on stage. At school, I loved reactions and would make up stories just to get reactions. It was a tough decision, but I got a portfolio clicked from a family friend and just moved to Mumbai post college. I made multiple sets of my pictures and roamed around and gave my pictures to every production house. For nine years, I did a lot of modelling but felt no sense of belonging. So then I started to watch plays. And figured people I wanted to work with and did a play with Sunil Shanbag. Ritesh Batra, director of The Lunchbox, was looking for a new face and had heard about me as an actor and I got chosen for the role that changed my life.
Who do you love the most in the world?
My mother. She is everything to me and is really the strength in my bones. Everything I am today is because of her faith and her courage to let me do what I wanted to do. She is a proud mother today.
What does your mother like the most about you?
That I don’t trouble her. I think she would like the fact that I am absolutely independent and that I have not needed anyone to make things happen for me. I think I remind her of my father. I am told that I have a lot to do with how he was as a person. He was a people’s person, he would make anyone comfortable right away, even if you met him for half a minute. I speak like him. The way I lead my life, my principles, my morals of not cheating anyone ever, to keep things clear and honest. It’s actually difficult for me to lie and I have no tolerance for hypocrisy.
Do you miss your father?
I have been different from outside and very different from inside when it comes to exhibiting your emotions. I miss him dearly more and more with age. I wish that he was around for me, specially at times when you achieve something in school and you want to turn around and show him that. There have been many many times like that when I have missed him in the last 3-4 years when things have really changed for me, when my life had changed, my career had taken a different turn.
Have you been in love?
Yes I have, a few times, but never with a film star. I have not been in a relationship since I did The Lunchbox.
You are working with Akshay Kumar for the first time in Airlift.
Akshay has been very exciting to work with for someone like me. I have actually grown up watching his films and literally to act with him, I have already had many out-of-body moments even though they are now settling down a bit. He has been fantastic to work with, so grounded and so funny. He is so Punjabi, so lovely and so warm. He is that person who will make sure everybody is comfortable and not star-struck. I am absolutely charmed by him. Forget being a girl, I have seen even men being rosy-eyed with him.
Which was the lowest period in your life?
Has to be my father’s death. My life changed. It was not a financial threat. But that life that I had lived with those orderlies, those army cars went away overnight. It was difficult moving to a civilian life. In the army, you are living in a shell and that’s why my father never sent me to an army school. You are used to three sevadars around you and suddenly, there are no army get togethers, so to just adjust to the new life without any fauji kids for friends was tough. I was undergoing puberty that time and that compounded my agony. But the army stands by you like a rock. They are your family and even today, they will come at the drop of a hat if you need something and they will do anything for you. I also think it’s to do with my father’s goodwill and his relationship with people. Coincidentally, he got awarded the Shaurya Chakra on my birthday, March 13. (His name is now written as Bhupinder Singh SC, SC standing for Shaurya Chakra). I remember my The Lunchbox premiered in Cannes and I immediately went back to Kashmir in June for the first time after my father’s death. I could sense that my life was going to shift in a big way and I wanted to go back to Kashmir for my closure and I did. I spent 10 days there all alone. I went to Verinag ( there’s a point there dedicated to my father). I came back and got a tattoo done on my wrist which reads, ‘Zenab’, meaning a father’s precious jewel that brings glory to his name.
