Be it Ajay Devgn's acting-directing skills or the plot, despite the verbal pomposity in the second half, Runway 34 scores on many fronts

Nonika Singh

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Aviation disasters are not so uncommon in our country, but aviation films certainly are. So when Ajay Devgn picks up an aviation drama as his third directorial outing, the subject, inspired by true events, does make for an interesting premise. There he is—Ajay Devgn holding not only the directorial baton, wearing the producer’s hat but also playing the lead! With swagger (a cigarette dangling every now and then) as well as self-boast quality in place, he is Captain Vikrant Khanna who parties the night before his flight from Dubai to Cochin. Is that a signal for impending disaster?

Runway 34

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Amitabh Bachchan, Rakul Preet Singh, Boman Irani, Angira Dhar and Aakanksha Singh

Director:Ajay Devgn

Rating: ***

Before he steps into the plane, we learn of his ace pilot skills and his photographic memory. How the two will come in handy when the imminent writ on the wall will unfold is what the exciting first half has in store for you.

Devgn the director is in control and builds a sense of trepidation step by step and there is more than one heart in your mouth moment. Be it through the glimpses of passengers on board or what goes on in the cockpit; there is enough tension to keep you engaged. And it’s not just passengers who brace for the landing impact, so do we, holding our breath before the expected outcome.

While cinephiles might be tempted to draw comparisons with Tom Hanks-starrer Sully, Runway 34 actually takes a cue from a real life flight the Jet Airways Doha to Kochi flight, which had a narrow escape on August 18, 2015, due to inclement weather and lack of visibility. The cinematic experience is well simulated, no small thanks to cinematographer Aseem Bajaj and of course VFX effects. The directorial reins are well held and the first half is taut, keeps you on tenterhooks.

But post the intermission, the narrative steers it in a different direction. It does not quite nosedive completely, yet prevents the film from being a runaway success. Surprising, for the second half entails the grand entry of Big B. Amitabh Bachchan as Narayan Vedant, no-nonsense head of AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau) is in-charge of an enquiry against the star pilot. He is both bombastic and effective, as the officer whose antipathy towards incompetence is more than evident. ‘Incompetence breeds incompetence’, he spews loftily and utters many a technical jargon in shudh Hindi and translates it for the anglicized, the not so Hindi bhaashi (no pun intended.)

The enquiry proceedings despite such dramatic flourishes and more, including a polygraph test, does not lead to an adrenaline rush and is let down by verbal pomposity. Actors Rakul Preet Singh as co-pilot Tanya Albuquerque and Devgn in particular, however, give good account of themselves.

The writing (by Sandeep Kewlani and Aamil Keeyan Khan), however, is clearly in Devgn’s favour and the twist in the end about where lies the truth further enhances his heroic image. Understated and stylish at the same time, he makes us root for his character. Watch the film to know how human factor can trigger or prevent an aviation mishap. The cinematic factors at play here lead the film towards a smooth landing.