Runway 34 Review: It is an immense delight to witness Bollywood as a genre come through with such diverse breakthrough releases over the last couple of months.
Starting from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi followed by the roaring success of Yash-starrer KGF: Chapter 2. It has been nothing but a series of “paisa vasool” performances on the screens.
Similarly, another highly anticipated film, “Runway 34,” is the third directorial venture of actor Ajay Devgan and stars Amitabh Bachchan, Rakul Preet Singh, and Boman Irani in the climactic role was released on April 29th, 2022.
The film is based on the true story of Jet Airways flight 9W 555 from Doha to Kochi. Due to the poor weather and occasional visibility, the pilot, in this case, Vikrant, had the impossible choice of attempting a landing that could go either way.
They received a series of mixed responses, as some found the aviation thriller engaging and intriguing that undoubtedly keeps you hooked labeling it as a “decent watch” amidst the larger than life south frenzy releases like KGF: Chapter 2 which predominantly will be the audience’s first preference alongside Eid, The film witnessed a very poor opening with a collection of Rs 3 crore to Rs 3.50 crore alongside a 15 percent occupancy. However, the numbers are expected to see a rise over the weekend.
While, Ajay Devgan, does find the catch as a director in this film before several conks out attempts with films like Shivaay(2016) You, Me and Us (2008) and delivers a performance that isn’t quite off the radar, Rakul Preet Singh graces the film with beauty and gives a solid account of herself. As for Amitabh Bachchan and the rest of the cast, The storyline and characters are filled with air pockets and muzzy writing.
There are two main locations in the film: the first half is mostly set inside a plane, with passengers cushioning their heads on the seat in front of them, and the second half is effectively a courtroom room drama.
Although this is undeniably Devgan’s best directorial effort, it lacks the urgency in the setting despite its nail-biting plot of showcasing a near life and death experience.
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It would have been a better watch if it hadn’t been inspired by a true-life event and hadn’t been kept until the intermission. The film features two of the best performers, Amitabh Bachchan and Boman Irani, as well as Ajay Devgan as Vikram Khanna, who keeps his cool and plays his character as he does in every film.
Amidst the muzzy writing, the film would have soared much higher towards the second half, if it included a little more imagination. However, the film still keeps the element of “fun and thrill” intact and makes it a decent one-time watch for the audience. Ajay Devgan sure delivers a good watch but it certainly isn’t a ‘dhamaka” considering the recent hit releases in Bollywood.
