Did You Know? Akshay Kumar Got Irrfan Khan Replaced In This Film Because He Was Interested In Playing The Lead!

Akshay Kumar has given us some of the most patriotic films that imbibed the feeling of pride! From Mission Mangal to Kesari, these films were beyond the general ‘Bollywood masala.’ But there was a time when Nikkhil Advani did not think Akki would even consider doing a film without a song. He had Irrfan Khan in his mind until the superstar changed his perception! Scroll below for details.

Many wouldn’t know but Irrfan was the first choice for the film Airlift (2016). Director Raja Menon was in fact confident that the late actor would nail the role. However, when Akshay heard of the idea, he convinced them to rope him as the lead instead.

In a recent conversation with Film Companion, Nikkhil Advani himself revealed it all as, “I once went to narrate a film to Akshay Kumar and he immediately said, ‘No this is not for me’. He asked what else I was working on. I said there is this other film that I’m not directing. A director called Raja Menon will make it, it’s based on a real story. It was Airlift. The next morning he said, why won’t you offer this to me?”