Gaurav Dubey (MID-DAY; February 16, 2015)

Akshay Kumar, who is riding high on the commercial and critical success of 'Baby', will soon start shooting for his next project, 'Airlift', based on a historical  human evacuation drama. And if the latest buzz is to be believed, the makers are scouting for thousands of junior artistes to be part of the film.

Says a source, "They are looking for around 3000 artistes. The makers are auditioning aspirants of Indian origin in UAE, where the film will be largely shot."

The film will be set in the time of the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait that left hundreds of Indians homeless. "It will be centered on the evacuation of Indians and for this, the makers require a large number of people. The auditions are on and the film will go on the floors next month," a source close to the project states.

Raja Krishna Menon, who is directing the reality-inspired film, says 3000 is an inflated number. "We are looking for extras but not 3000 people. We have undertaken a normal casting process. We will shoot the film in two parts — the first half in Ras al-Khaimah, UAE, and the second half in India where the crowd scenes will be filmed," he suggests.