Runway 34 Movie Review: Amitabh Bachchan and Ajay Devgn's combo engages you despite some bumpy landings

Ajay Devgn 's honest attempt to helm probably one of the first aviation thriller flicks in Indian cinema deserves attention. Runway 34 indeed has some moments that tend to encapsulate you for good. However, the movie experiences some turbulence when it comes to the screenplay and the crisp treatment of some sequences. But it is the combination of Amitabh Bachchan and Ajay Devgn which makes way for some engaging moments, adding a certain amount of adrenaline to the plot.

The film revolves around Captain Vikrant Khanna (Ajay Devgn) who is an ace pilot and a role of model for many in the aviation industry. However, one of his flights from Dubai to Cochin along with co-pilot Tanya Albuquerque ( Rakul Preet Singh ) turns out to be a fateful one. Vikrant finds himself taking a huge risk of making a highly turbulent landing in Trivandrum’s Runway 34 owing to terrible weather conditions. He comes under the scanner of AAIB officer Narayan Vedant (Amitabh Bachchan), no-nonsense and ruthless investigation personnel who has his eagle eyes on the case.

Runway 34 is based on the real-life incident of a flight from Doha to Cochin that had a narrow escape from crashing owing to bad weather conditions. Ajay Devgn’s direction delves deep into the technicalities of this aviation drama. The attempt to landing scenes gives you the right amount of adrenaline rush and you stay connected with the tribulations of the two pilots. The courtroom scene is another highlight of the movie. Keeping you at the edge of your seat, it elevates the tension and pace of the movie as the investigation proceeds. Devgn gets the interplay between his titular character to that of Bachchan’s Narayan Vedant or Rakul’s Albuquerque. The writing by Sandeep Kewlani and Aamil Keeyan Khan has its dull moments a few times but brings out the required modulation in the plot.

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Where the movie falters is the screenplay and the cliched or caricatured dialogues or portrayal of some characters. Be it the protagonist’s guilt over a tragedy post the flight or his defending himself to choose Runway 34 as his landing point, none of it is established in a nuanced manner. Some of the mannerisms of the passengers including a cameo by Youtuber Carryminati that could have been skipped look extremely caricatured. Not only this, but the politics and ruthless business brain of the aviation industry also look exaggerated. The movie attempts to bring out a twist at the end that does not strike an adequate chord with the plot.

Also Read: Runway 34: Rakul Preet Singh reveals what she learnt from Ajay Devgn and Amitabh Bachchan 

The performances can be deemed as one of the validating aspects of the movie. Ajay Devgn brings out the required intensity in his performance, especially in his emotionally high-pitched scenes inside the cockpit. The megastar dabbles in a fine balance between his role as a director and an actor with Runway 34. However, Amitabh Bachchan steals the show in the second half. Be it his intimidating aura as the AAIB officer or his blurting out Hindi counterparts of various jargons, the man is simply a visual delight to behold in almost all of his scenes. One hopes that the movie could have given some character backdrop for Big B’s Narayan Vedant.

Rakul Preet Singh has quite a lot of room to perform and she does full justice to her character, especially in the interrogation scenes. Angira Dhar and Aakanksha Singh do well in their brief roles. However, Boman Irani is highly wasted in this one. His character comes across as highly caricatured and over-the-top, not striking a chord at all.

The VFX by Biraja Kinkar, Gaurav Chatterjee, and others is well executed with the flight scenes coming across as highly realistic. The stunt team comprising of Ramazan Bulut, Branislav Martinak, and James WC Meetei is also praise-worthy. The cinematography by Aseem Bajaj is top-notch especially the scenes that have been shot inside the cock pit. The music is rather underwhelming, especially the ‘Alpha Man’ background score for Devgn’s character. Jasleen Royal’s ‘The Fall’ and Arijit Singh ’s ‘Mitra Re’ are pleasant to the ears but do not create a strong impact to create tension or empathy in the story.

Overall, Runway 34 has its heart in the right place as it tries to build up an engaging aviation thriller. Even with its flaws, the movie will definitely be a treat for the fans of Ajay Devgn. Amitabh Bachchan’s magnanimous presence is like an added bonus.