When Irrfan Khan Rejected Airlift & Asked The Makers To Cast Akshay Kumar: “Mere Sath Mat Kar Ye Picture”

Irrfan Khan was one of the finest actors the Indian film industry has ever witnessed. From Hindi films like The Lunchbox and Hindi Medium to Hollywood projects like Life of Pi and The Amazing Spider-Man, Khan proved himself in every corner of the world.

With such great skills, he was offered many roles throughout his career, some of which he had to turn down due to some reason or another. One such film is the blockbuster Airlift.

The 2016 film Airlift, directed by Raja Krishna Menon, is celebrated as one of Akshay Kumar’s career milestones. However, the late actor Irrfan Khan was initially considered for the lead role. On Irrfan’s birth anniversary, producer Nikkhil Advani shared an intriguing anecdote about why the actor himself insisted that the makers choose Akshay Kumar instead.

Irrfan Khan believed the director would not get a high budget with him as the actor

While speaking to Galatta Plus, the producer Nikkhil Advani revealed that Airlift’s director wanted Irrfan for the lead role and a meeting was set up with the actor. However, Irrfan overheard the conversation and asked Advani to reconsider. 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.’”

Akshay Kumar, upon hearing the narration of Airlift, was instantly on board, despite being told the film required workshops and a serious approach. Nikkhil said, “I told (Akshay) Raja doesn’t want you, but Akshay did the film. He sat for workshops after workshops.” Airlift, based on true events during the 1990 invasion of Kuwait by Iraq, portrayed Akshay as an Indian businessman who organized the evacuation of over 170,000 stranded Indians. The film received critical acclaim and was a box-office success.

However, things might have been very different with Irrfan Khan in the lead role. While Akshay Kumar delivered a sensational performance in the film, it would have been equally great to have Khan take on the role.

For more such stories, check out Bollywood

Must Read: Ajay Devgn Believes His Generation Had It Easier In Bollywood Than The Current “Unforgiving” Generation

Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | Google News