I was surprised when Akshay said yes to 'Airlift': Purab Kohli

Purab Kohli, who gained mainstream attention with the cult movie Rock on, eight years ago, is playing a prominent role in the just- released Akshay Kumar starrer Airlift. “It’s based on a real life incident that happened in the 90s when 17,000 people were stranded in Kuwait. The story revolves around how one businessman played by Akshay Kumar, takes charge and helps evacuate the entire population,” he says.

Purab plays Ibrahim Durani, an employee at a supermarket, who comes in contact with Akshay’s character. “When Ranjit Katyal (Akshay’s character) is out on a quest to arrange food for the stranded, he meets my character and I end up becoming a co-member in the rescue mission.” Also, there is a parallel story running with him searching for his wife after the war breaks out through the course of the movie. “It’s one of my most interesting roles, till date,” he tells.

Working with Akshay Kumar for the first time was a total blast, he says, “He is quite an unassuming star. Honestly, I was surprised when he said ‘yes’ to a film like this. On the set too, he always gives his best, and is constantly making an effort to uplift the film.” Purab feels Akshay’s performance in Airlift will be a huge treat for his fans.

Now, with Airlift having released and declared a hit, he will shift focus to his next movie, Rock On 2 co-starring again with Farhan Akthar and Arjun Rampal. He has already shot for the first schedule, which took place in the picturesque Meghalaya. “Meghalaya is beautiful and one of my favourite places in the country.”

The camaraderie between the lead characters was much appreciated in Rock On, but Purab feels the bonding was a lot better between them this time around. “As we were put up in the same place, we would go camping together, go to the gym, and on off-days, go site seeing as well. The bond formed among us is a lot powerful this time around,” he says.

He will also be seen in Netflix’s series Sense8, which is in its second season this year. It is made by Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski of Matrix fame. “I was a part of nine episodes in the first season, and with Netflix coming into India, I’m hoping people will start seeing it from the second season onwards. I will be shooting for it this year,” he says.

Open to doing regional movies, he says, “I need filmmakers to give me time to master the language. I feel that without knowing the language, it becomes difficult to emote convincingly and I might even end up interpreting the wrong feeling.”