Akshay Kumar started appearing in films high on nationalistic sentiment a few years ago and while some have not been able to create a strong impression, Airlift managed to stand out. Raja Krishna Menon’s film recently completed 10 years and the director recently revealed that Akshay was not the first choice for the film. In fact, the director initially approached Irrfan Khan. Recalling how it all unfolded, Menon told Bollywood Hungama, “The first actor I approached was Irrfan Khan. It happened through producer Nikkhil Advani. I met Nikkhil as I was told that he was looking for fresh ideas.” He added, laughingly recounting his interaction with Irrfan who said, “Raja, it’s a great script, but your vision is Hollywood. But with me, you’ll not get money to make anything close to your vision.” Menon said he initially thought Irrfan was simply declining the film politely. But then Menon revealed that even producer Nikkhil Advani had a similar concern. “Nikkhil also suggested that I should approach an A-lister. He and Vikram Malhotra (co-producer) met Akshay for …