FILM

Runway 34 – A Gripping Flight

Ajay Devgn’s latest directorial - Runway 34 is an out and out immersive Aviation Drama that keeps the audience in suspense and offers an excellent thrill ride. The film is broadly inspired by events from 2015 when a Doha to Kochi flight had a narrow escape after facing difficulties to land due to bad weather and poor visibility.

The story revolves around the hugely experienced Captain Vikrant Khanna (Ajay Devgn) and first officer who is relatively a fresher Tanya Albuquerque (Rakul Preet Singh), who face meticulous investigation and interrogation by Narayan Vedant (Amitabh Bachchan) following a May Day call they make before landing an aircraft in turbulent conditions with 150 passengers on board.

First half of the film is an aerial drama at 35000 feet with Ajay Devgn managing to keep the audience on edge with some dramatic visuals and offers a great immersive experience. Just before the interval the film reaches its crescendo and with a few rather miscalculated wisdom of hindsight judgemental calls, the pilot duo manages to do a landing with a freefall.

Second half of the movie is an investigation sequence into the landing. Investigation and interrogation by Narayan Vedant is extremely well played by the suave Amitabh Bachchan. Amitabh Bachchan's role in Runway 34 also reminds us of many courtroom dramas he has been a part of in the past decade and a half.

Boman Irani too reminds us of Vijay Mallya for his infamous business values and instincts.

This is probably one of the few movies made in India on Aircraft investigations that makes it a bold step by Ajay Devgn. There is not the usual “Masala” which is welcome. The Indian audience is maturing and the film fraternity is realizing it and catching up to the audience.

Runway 34 is around two hours and thirty minutes long but at no point it appears to drag a bit. The film is well made and Ajay Devgn deserves praise for his directorial skill and Amitabh Bachchan for his acting performance that leaves all engaging till the end and offers a big screen cinematic experience with good production values.

A Grandson, Husband and Father of Two, S Jaganathan, is one of the Director's of The Verandah Club. He is an avid traveller, interested in trendspotting and a firm believer in the philosophy - Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah.