Runway 34 Movie Review: Ajay Devgn-Amitabh Bachchan Bring a Witty Tug of War in a Fast-Paced Thriller

In this edge-of-the-seat thriller, Captain Vikrant Khanna (Ajay Devgn) is forced to land his plane in a life-threatening situation, leading to an inquiry where he's suspected of gross negligence and breaking the rules.

Runway 34 Movie Review: No more than a handful of mid-air thrillers or airplane movies (whatever floats your boat) in general have left a lasting impression both at the box office and in the audience’s minds down the years. The ones that immediately spring to mind are Air Force One, Executive Decision, Con Air and Airport 1975. The number reduces way more in Bollywood, with just Neerja and Bell Bottom being the only ones that hold their head high. So, where does Runway 34, starring Ajay Devgn Amitabh Bachchan and Rakul Preet Singh find itself? And does Ajay Devgn, who’s two erstwhile directorial efforts, U Me Aur Hum and Shivaay, don’t hold fond memories, finally redeems himself behind the camera? Well… the answer to both those questions is a resounding “yes”.

What’s it about

Captain Vikrant Khanna (Ajay Devgn) is forced to land his plane in a life-threatening situation due to a combination of torrential weather and over-confidence. Despite pulling off a heroic landing and saving the lives of all his passengers, an inquiry is held after AAIB senior counselor believes he’s guilty of putting everybody’s life in danger.

What’s hot

Runway 34 is hands down for the most technically brilliant films made in Bollywood. Not only do the shots of the plane under turbulence look extremely convincing, but you almost feel as if you’re inside the plane when it’s perilously landing. Ajay Devgn has always been a technically very sound filmmaker though as exhibited even in U Me Aur Hum and Shivaay. It’s his creative avenues that wouldn’t match up, but this time, everything flows like a well-oiled machine as the tension in the plane is justifiably taken down a notch or two in the court scenes, but the powder keg atmosphere more or less remains the same. It helps though this is also a brilliantly scripted film with dialogues that elevate most situations and clues left strewn all over only for them to act as a turning point in the plot later on. It also helps that you have superstars like Ajay Devgn and Amitabh Bachchan trying to outdo each other, with Rakul Preet rendering her best act yet, and Boman Irani, Aakanksha Singh and Angira Dhar all playing their parts to the T. Aseem Bajaj’s excellent camerawork and Amar Mohile’s background score are the icing on the cake.

What’s not

Some of the plot points feel a bit too contrived, especially in the face of such strong writing and direction around them while there are a couple of scenes, too, which could’ve easily been done away with. Additionally, Dharmendra Sharma’s editing doesn’t always leave the same impact as the other superior technical aspects. And Carry Minati’s much-hyped Bollywood cameo turns out to be all gas – he’s just annoying and can’t act to save his life.

Verdict

Runway 34 is one of the most well shot, technically brilliant and well written films in recent memory in Bollywood, with some extremely strong dialogues to boot that elevate any situation. The combination of edge-of-the seat mid-air thrills and hard-hitting courtroom drama first make you feel like you’re in the plane with the other passengers whose lives are on the line and then you have a ringside seat to a battle of wits between Ajay Devgn and Amitabh Bachchan at their very best. Watch out, too, for Rakul Preet Singh’s profoundly heartfelt performance. Barring a few plot contrivances and scenes that could’ve been done away with, this is certain to go down as one of the best airplane thrillers, and not just in Bollywood, which demands to be savoured on the big screen. I’m going with 4 out of 5 stars.