Captain Vikrant Khanna, a skilled pilot for the Skyline 777 aircraft and his young copilot, First Officer Tanya Albuquerque, are caught in the eye of a storm as they’re forced to execute a crash landing after their chosen runway (titular Runway 34) is not cleared by Air Traffic Control. This eventually leads to the endangerment of the lives of the 150 passengers onboard. It also casts a shadow of distrust over Captain Khanna’s once illustrious career, as well as on his personal lifestyle; Narayan Vedant, a stern official working for the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, relentlessly questions him during the film.
“Runway 34,” the investigation thriller based on true events, could have amounted to forgettable, formulaic, and unrealistic commercial fare; but the screenplay by Sandeep Kewlani and Aamil Keeyan Khan doesn’t divert from the overwhelming reality of the situation. The storyline lacks clichés for a majority of its run-time, and delivers clever but realistic twists towards the end. All the while, it tackles themes such as corruption in the aviation industry and delves into morality. It comments on the conundrum faced by individuals such as Captain Khanna and his bright copilot, who are more or less treated as puppets and scapegoats by the higher ups.
A Bright Film with Stylish Visuals
The polygraph test scene might divide many who are looking for some accuracy — since the mechanics of the lie detector are often sidelined in many procedural dramas in favour of ‘movie magic’ — and as a result “Runway 34” too suffers from a similar inaccuracy; but otherwise the film handles the enquiry scenes in a realistic manner. Director Ajay Devgn handles emotional moments with the risk of melodrama in a sensitive fashion. “Runway 34” is only Devgn’s second outing as Director (after 2016’s “Shivaay”), but he steers the project clearly and effectively.
‘Runway 34′ is a great palette cleanser if you’re looking for more than formulaic run-of-the-mill commercial fare…’
The movie also benefits from crisp editing and alluring visuals, such as a stylish but never overpowering blue colour palette in the first half. The cinematography also effectively captures the emotional turbulence of its characters. A few examples of Aseem Bajaj’s fitting cinematography are present in the hazy and shaky camerawork throughout. This is especially present wherein Captain Khanna and First Officer Albuquerque are unable to maintain their composure while being interrogated by the snide, headstrong Mr. Vedant, or subtle foreshadowing such as a glimpse of air hostesses and female passengers reflected through the tinted lenses of Khanna’s aviators as he eyes them while sauntering across a crowded airport. This trait later comes back when the confrontational and presumptuous Mr. Vedant casts aspersions against his character.
Ajay Devgn and Rakul Preet Singh in “Runway 34.” (Photo credit: Ajay Devgn Ffilms).
Elements Rise ‘Runway 34’ Above Usual Formulas
Initially, much of the dialogue may sound pretentious, but upon closer examination, it perfectly encapsulates the arrogant and egotistical mentality of the suits such as Mr. Vedant and Mr Suri, the owner of Skyline Airway; the duo quite literally cannot put themselves in the seat of an overworked pilot. We see their mindset in others in the film; by those who have their wings, but have no luck in reining in their ego which can then cloud their judgement, as in the case of Captain Khanna. The background score further elevates the tension and sense of urgency; we see this as Khanna’s fails multiple times at landing the aircraft in bad weather in the film’s first half. The pace could have been slightly tighter, as there are moments where I felt the movie slackens; but for much of the run-time, it managed to keep me engaged.
The background score further elevates the tension and sense of urgency…”
A Great Palette Cleanser
Devgn lends an endearing quality to Captain Khanna, a character with shades of grey, and his performance is remarkably nuanced. Fellow veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan brings in the needed stern, no-nonsense attitude to Mr. Vedant, and Rakul Preet Singh delivers a convincing performance as First Officer Albuquerque. Albuquerque may be a stickler for the rules, but should not be mistaken for a rookie (in fact, I found myself constantly muttering under my breath that Captain Khanna could have benefited quite early on, had he simply followed the young co-pilot’s instructions to divert the plane to Bengaluru in the first place). The supporting cast of Boman Irani as the manipulative Mr.Suri, Aakansha Singh as Captain Khanna’s supportive wife Samaira, and others do justice to their respective roles.
“Runway 34” is a great palette cleanser if you’re looking for more than formulaic run-of-the-mill commercial fare; and is also a lesson in not letting one’s ego overpower one’s ethics.
“Runway 34” is currently in theaters and available to stream on Amazon Prime.
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