Rating:
3.0/5
Star
Cast:
Amitabh
Bachchan,
Ajay
Devgn,
Rakul
Preet
Singh,
Mubashir
Bashir
Beigh,
Ovais
Singstar
Director:
Ajay
Devgn
“Apne
shabd
aur
samay
ko
bahut
hi
soch
samjhke
kharchiyega.
Yeh
dobaara
laut
kar
nahin
aate,”
Narayan
Vedant
(Amitabh
Bachchan)
advises
a
visibly-shaken
Tanya
Albuquerque
(Rakul
Preet
Singh)
during
an
aviation
probe.
His
words
of
wisdom
do
make
a
lot
of
sense
for
the
audience
as
well,
especially
in
today’s
times,
when
a
plethora
of
entertainment
is
available
just
a
click
way!
So,
does
Ajay
Devgn’s
latest
directorial
turn
out
to
be
a
memorable
flight?
Let’s
find
out.
What’s
Nay:
A
little
more
taut
screenplay
in
the
second
half
was
required
to
add
more
to
the
drama
and
thrills
Story
Runway
34
begins
with
flying
prodigy
Captain
Vikrant
Khanna
AKA
Vicky
(Ajay
Devgn)
sneaking
out
of
his
hotel
to
enjoy
a
night
out
with
his
pal.
A
few
hours
later,
he
is
assigned
a
flight
from
Dubai
to
Cochin
(Skyline
777).
Joining
him
is
first
officer
Tanya
Alburqurque
(Rakul
Preet
Singh),
who
is
quite
excited
about
working
with
him.
She
watches
him
in
awe
when
he
says,
“Main
cheezein
kabhi
bhoolta
nahi..I
have
a
photographic
memory.”
While
Vikrant
and
Tanya
exchange
a
few
words
in
the
cockpit,
we
are
also
introduced
to
the
passengers
on
the
flight.
There’s
an
ailing
Parsi
lady
travelling
with
her
daughter,
a
young
mother
who
is
a
first-time
traveller,
CarryMinati
playing
himself
and
a
cocky
businessman
amongst
them.
Unknown
to
everyone,
nature
has
an
unpleasant
surprise
in
store
for
them.
Vikrant
and
Tanya,
several
thousand
feet
above
the
ground,
find
their’s
and
the
passengers’
lives
in
danger
due
to
torrid
weather
conditions.
“Mausam
aur
insaan
jab
milkar
galati
karte
hai
na,
toh
it’s
a
sure
shot
recipe
for
disaster.”
However,
after
a
few
miscalculations,
Vikrant
issues
a
Mayday
call
as
the
flight,
diverts
from
Cochin
to
Trivandrum
due
to
bad
weather,
and
lands
on
Runway
34.
What
follows
next
is
an
investigation
under
the
watchful
eye
of
Narayan
Vedant
(Amitabh
Bachchan),
head
of
AAIB.
Direction
Ajay
Devgn
calls
‘Lights,
Camera,
Action’
after
a
gap
of
six
years
with
Runway
34.
Like
his
previous
outing
Shivaay,
the
superstar
once
again
displays
his
technical
finesse
when
it
comes
to
the
visual
treatment
of
the
film.
The
mid-air
sequences
are
thrilling
and
keep
you
on
the
edge
of
your
seats.
There
are
moments
when
you
have
your
heart
in
your
mouth.
However,
Runway
34
faces
some
turbulence
when
it
enters
the
courtroom
drama
zone.
Barring
some
clever
dialoguebaazi
between
Ajay
Devgn
and
Amitabh
Bachchan,
there’s
not
much
to
take
away
from
the
second
half.
A
little
more
sharp
writing
here
would
have
elevated
the
film
by
several
notches.
Also,
a
few
questions
remain
unanswered
in
the
closed-door
trial,
which
continue
to
linger
in
your
mind
post
the
film.
The
makers
also
fail
to
explore
a
few
other
characters
after
giving
them
a
good
build-up.
Performances
Ajay
Devgn
flies
high
and
delivers
a
first-rate
performance
as
a
high-flight
pilot,
be
it
when
it
comes
to
displaying
his
flamboyance
or
staying
calm
amidst
the
chaos.
Like
always,
there
are
a
few
scenes
where
he
lets
his
eyes
do
all
the
talking.
Rakul
Preet
Singh
on
the
other
hand,
manages
to
display
a
gamut
of
emotions
even
when
saddled
with
an
unidimensional
character.
Amitabh
Bachchan
adds
gravitas
to
his
limited
role.
However,
one
wished
that
the
writers
have
explored
different
facets
of
his
character
which
would
have
added
more
layers
to
the
plot.
Nevertheless,
the
Shahenshah
of
Bollywood
still
roars
loud.
Boman
Irani
and
Aakansha
Singh
deliver
what’s
written
for
them.
Angira
Dhar
barely
gets
a
chance
to
display
her
acting
chops.
Technical
Aspects
Aseem
Bajaj’s
ace
cinematography
especially
in
the
mid-air
portions
is
worth
applauding.
Be
it
the
tight
close-up
shots
to
portray
the
tension
in
the
air
or
the
aerial
frames,
he
plays
a
major
role
in
keeping
your
eyes
glued
to
the
screen.
Dharmendra
Sharma’s
editing
scissors
are
sharp
which
keep
the
narrative
tight.
Music
Ajay
Devgn
steers
clear
of
adding
unnecessary
tracks
in
Runway
34
and
it
works
in
his
favour.
There
are
just
two
songs,
‘The
Fall
Song’ crooned
by
Jasleen
Royal
and
Arijit
Singh’s
‘Mitra
Re’
which
blend
perfectly
in
the
storytelling
and
captures
the
mood
of
the
situation.
Verdict
In
one
of
the
scenes
when
Tanya
(Rakul
Preet
Singh)
tells
Vikrant
(Ajay
Devgn)
that
she
doesn’t
have
a
good
feeling
about
a
situation,
the
latter
brushes
off
her
concern
and
quips,
“Yahan
zameen
se
35000
feet
upar
feelings
nahin,
calculations
chalte
hain.”
However,
one
wished
that
Devgn
had
realized
that
this
formula
doesn’t
work
when
it
comes
to
films.
A
little
more
emphasis
on
the
emotional
aspect
of
the
writing
would
have
resulted
into
a
smooth
journey
for
Runway
34.
Having
said
that,
the
investigative
thriller
still
makes
for
an
engaging
watch.
We
give
3
stars
out
of
5
for
Ajay
Devgn,
Amitabh
Bachchan
and
Rakul
Preet
Singh’s
Runway
34.
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