Review : Ajay Devgn lands safely on ‘Runway 34’!
After directing ‘#UMeAurHum’ and ‘#Shivay’ #AjayDevgn once again holds the reins of direction with ‘#Runway34’. This is his, so far, the best directorial movie. He also plays the principle role in the film and delivers a good performance but he surpasses actor in him with direction this time. Though the film has a few flaws but that doesn’t hamper the entertainment quotient. The director is quite successful in creating the thrill factor that promises an edge of the seat experience. In Hollywood there are aviation thrillers like, Sully, Flight etc. but ‘Runway 34’ could be termed as the first Bollywood aviation thriller movie. The movie excels in technical department and as it is based on real incident looks relatable too. Ajay Devgn has managed a safe landing for his ‘Runway 34’.
In 2015 an Indian flight was returning from Doha to Kochi and due to terrible weather landed in trouble. The Skyline Airways flight is advised to take an alternate destination for landing by Kochi airport personnel but Captain Vikrant Khanna (Ajay Devgn) decided to land at the nearest airport, i.e. Thiruvananthapuram instead of safer Bangalore (Bengaluru). His co-pilot Tanya Albuquerque (Rakul Preet Singh) is against this decision but had to follow her captain’s instructions. By the time the flight reaches the vicinity of Thiruvananthapuram the weather there too had worsened with poor visibility. But having burned the fuel hovering around in the sky Vikrant Khanna decides to land there despite almost nil visibility. Before landing he sends a ‘MayDay’ message to the airport authorities and manages a landing a few inches shy of a crash. But the MayDay (final distress call) message lands the pilots in trouble as they face an inquiry from Airport Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) where a seasoned and utterly strict aviation prosecutor Vedant Narayan (Amitabh Bachchan) grills them. The film is clearly divided in two parts, first being the turbulent airplane landing and post-interval being the court room drama.
Since the story is based on true incidents, it doesn’t much deviate from the incident but the screenplay delves into the personal lives of characters. No doubt a lot of drama goes a ‘filmy’ way but the solid performances saves it. There are a few questions unanswered in the screenplay. Ajay Devgn, the director, has tried to focus on the aviation sector politics and also the passenger’s plights. The background score helps the narrative in big way. It’s runtime of almost two and half hours, though long, doesn’t feel that long and that’s a plus for the film. Both the sections of the film project thrill and drama in equal measures. The movie is technically superb and VFX and CGI are used smartly to enhance the thrill.
Obviously ‘Runway 34’ scores big in performances department. Ajay Devgn plays confident and borderline arrogant pilot with ease. Rakul Preet Singh has displayed her acting abilities well and delivered an impressive performance. This must be her one of the best performances in Bollywood movies. Amitabh Bachchan is mesmerising in a counsel’s role and delivers a punching performance which could be a reference point for the students of acting. Boman Irani, Akanksha Singh, Angira Dhar lend good support.
Ajay Devgn’s ‘Runway 34’ certainly is a big screen cinematic experience.
Rating : ***1/2