Here's how we think Akshay Kumar's Airlift will perform at the Box Office

Raja Krishna Menon directorial Airlift is a story of an arrogant Indian businessman, Ranjit Katyal who helps rescue Indians stranded in conflict-torn Kuwait.

The film has been inspired by the world's biggest air evacuation. Over 1,11,000 Indian expatriates were airlifted from Kuwait after the country was invaded in 1990. Then Minister of External Affairs, IK Gujral spearheaded the record-breaking evacuation, which used 488 flights, was spread over a period of 59 days.

The film stars Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur, Purab Kohli in pivotal roles.

Also Read: Akshay Kumar on Airlift, Robot 2 and not being a Filmfare nominee

Apart from the heroic mission, what works in favour of Airlift is the style of the narration - which holds your attention right from the start. Director Raja Krishna Menon takes no time at all to establish the plotline.

The brilliant concept is supported by power-packed performances. Airlift will go down as one of Akshay Kumar's most heartfelt and ambitious performancess till date.

The background score, the careful choice and placement of the songs and the fiesty dialogues are the other factors which manage to successfully support the story.

Despite the crisp editing, the first half seems to lag. Some incidents seem to be repetitive. The pace only picks up in the second half.

Airlift is the kind of film that might not appeal to all audiences as it does not have the many commercial elements. However, the word of mouth and critical response is expected to lean towards positive side.

Also Read: Movie Review: Airlift proves that mainstream Hindi cinema is alive and kicking

Box Office Prediction:

• Day One collections ( 22 January): Rs 10.5 crore
• Weekend collections (23-24 January): Rs 34 crore
• Week one collections: Rs 58 crore
• Lifetime collections: Rs 85 crore

The film stands to do even better than our prediction. However, the performance of the film in its second week at the Box Office relies largely on the kind of response that rival releases Mastizaade and Saala Khadoos garner.