Captain Zain Juvale, based in Auckland, New Zealand, has raised strong objections to the depiction of the rescue of Indians during the 1990 invasion of Kuwait by Iraq, in the film Airlift.
In response to my review of the film directed by Raja Menon and produced by Nikkhil Advani, he immediately contacted me on Facebook, besides posting his detailed objections in the 'Comments' section below the review on SpotboyE.com
In addition, Captain Juvale has emailed copies of newspaper clippings and letters of thanks from the Indians, whom he rescued on the Panamanian cargo ship Safeer from troubled waters, navigating them back to the safety of their homeland.
On being asked how he could raise any objections to the rescue mission of 1,70,000 Indians by civilian aircrafts, which has been acknowledged as the largest evacuation of its kind by the Guinness Book of World Records, he replied, “The airlift happened at a later stage when things had calmed down. The initial rescue (of 725 Indians) during tense times was on my ship, that too a small cargo ship.”
The master captain, frequently described as ‘Unsung Hero’ of the rescue mission, adds,“I had even contacted Raja Menon when I heard that he was about to embark on this project to get the facts from me. However, he never bothered to reply.”
The film, while being adapted from the true-life events, points out at the end that the heroic character portrayed by Akshay Kumar is an amalgamation of real-life people involved in the mission. However, Captain Juvale isn’t buying that, starting off his rebuttal with the statement, “I wish to put the actual facts straight. I feel there is a false claim here that it is a true story.”
He further claims, “There was never an airlift as portrayed in the movie. I was captain of the ship Safeer captured at gunpoint along with my crew of 25 and held captive for 35 days in Kuwait.”
He emphasises that he not only tactfully managed to get his crew and ship released from the Iraqi forces but also rescued 725 Indians via his small cargo ship through mined waters. This, he believes, was the first batch of Indians to be successfully rescued out of Kuwait. The list of the 725 persons rescued with their passport numbers and a letter of thanks from them and his crew, are among his treasured possessions.
Laments the captain, “It hurts to know that someone else is claiming the credit. Unfortunately, the then-External Affairs minister I K Gujral is no more. He could have vouched for the facts as I had discussions with him regarding my plan when he visited Kuwait briefly during the conflict.”
Thumbnail Image Source: twitter/akshaykumar