Bollywood
Review: ‘Runway 34’: Gripping drama and strong performances make this film soar high
Series: ‘Runway 34’ (Showing in theatres)
Duration: 148 minutes
Director: Ajay Devgn
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Rakul Preet Singh, Abhinay Raj Singh, Boman Irani, Sharik Khan, Aakanksha Singh, Angira Dhar
IANS Rating: ****
Ajay Devgn’s ‘Runway 34’, is inspired by a real-life incident and strongly reminiscent of the 2016 released English film ‘Sully: Miracle on the Hudson’. Yet, it is distinct and proves to be a gripping drama pivoting around Captain Vikrant Khanna’s flight from Dubai to Cochin, one rainy night, and how the skilled and experienced pilot saves 150 lives, with his maturity and foresight, preventing an impending aviation disaster, landing in Trivandrum instead, with limited fuel.
An edge-of-the-seat drama, the film keeps you hooked right from the beginning. The flight scenes displaying the fear and anxiety of the petrified passengers are real and palpable. The external flight shots of the aircraft flying amidst thunder and rain are also beautifully executed and appear real. The final landing of the plane in severe turbulence is frighteningly credible.
While the passengers and media term him a hero, Captain Vikrant Khanna faces a strict inquiry for his decision of landing at Trivandrum instead of Bengaluru and even opting for Runway 34 instead of the recommended Runway 16.
The second half of the film with the entry of Amitabh Bachchan as Narayan Vedant, the Investigating Officer, is equally exciting, although it is more of a courtroom drama with the inquiry committee and the pilots being interrogated.
How Captain Vikrant Khanna manages to hold his own against Narayan Vedant, convincing him of his sharp memory and flying skills through a simulated flight, thereby justifying his actions and decisions, forms the crux of this aviation drama.
Ajay Devgan, as the dashing and accomplished Captain Vikrant Khanna essays his character with his characteristic restraint and minimal expressions. He emotes through his eyes, conveying myriad emotions. An astute pilot, who places his passengers’ safety before everything else, a family man but with a fun side to his personality, Ajay Devgn is every bit that pilot.
Amitabh Bachchan as Narayan Vedant expectedly takes centre stage with his flawless oratorical skills and charisma, and towers over everyone else in the inquiry scenes. As always, he is a treat to watch.
Rakul Preet Singh, as Co-pilot Tania Albuquerque delivers what is expected of her, given the limited scope of her character. The scene where she is frightened owing to the bad weather and thinks it is all over is a wee bit incongruous with the perception one has of a pilot.
Boman Irani as Mr Suri, the owner of the Skyline Aviation company, is credible.
The story is narrated in a linear manner, and is fairly straightforward with no element of intrigue or unexpected twists, although the drama quotient is fairly high.
Some parts of the film appear a tad rushed and unconvincing, especially the inquiry by the DGCA officials and the breath analyser tests.
The background music is effective especially in the scene when Captain Vikrant Khanna leaves the airport after the heroic feat.
Overall, ‘Runway 34’ is an interesting film which is a perfect combination of drama and good performances.
Bollywood
Vivek Oberoi to play Aurangzeb in Rishab Shetty’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, say reports

Mumbai Oct 31: Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi has been roped in to play Aurangzeb opposite Rishab Shetty’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Sandeep Singh’s upcoming historical epic, ‘The Pride of Bharat: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’, according to reports on Friday.
While there is no official confirmation as of yet.
The film will depict the journey of history’s greatest warrior king, highlighting the courage, strategy, and devotion that shaped the foundation of Swarajya.
With Rishab Shetty as Shivaji Maharaj, Shefali Shah as Jijamata, and now Vivek Oberoi stepping into the role of Aurangzeb, the stage is set for a compelling narrative that explores both conflict and conviction at an epic scale.
Vivek Oberoi’s inclusion will add another remarkable chapter to his strong slate of upcoming projects, which includes Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s ‘Spirit’ with Prabhas and Nitesh Tiwari’s ‘Ramayana’.
Helmed by Sandeep Singh, ‘The Pride of Bharat: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’ is shaping up to be one of Indian cinema’s most ambitious historical productions, with a team comprising multiple National and Academy Award-winning technicians.
The magnum opus is slated for a never-seen-before mega global release in more than 40 countries worldwide on January 21, 2027, in Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali and English.
Talking about Vivek, the actor is all set for his upcoming movie ‘Mastiii 4’. The movie also stars Aftab Shivdasani and Ritesh Deshmukh in the lead.
Talking about Rishab Shetty, the actor is currently riding high with the humongous success of his recently released movie, ‘Kantara: Chapter 1’. The movie also stars Rukmini Vasanth.
‘Kantara: Chapter 1’ released last month on October 2.
It competed with Janhvi Kapoor-starrer ‘Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari’ at the box office.
Bollywood
Bollywood actor Mukesh Rishi watches J&K Assembly proceedings from Speaker’s Gallery

Srinagar, Oct 29: Bollywood actor Mukesh Rishi on Wednesday watched the proceedings of J&K Assembly from the Speaker’s Gallery as members cutting across party lines welcomed his presence.
The Assembly warmly welcomed Rishi, who was present in the Speaker’s Gallery during the ongoing session.
Members across party lines greeted the actor with applause as Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather announced his presence in the House.
Rishi belongs to J&K and was born on April 19, 1956, in a Gujjar Chaudhary family in Kathua district.
Growing up in Jammu, graduating from Government College, Sector 11, Chandigarh, and working for two years in Mumbai, Rishi moved to Fiji for work, where he met his future wife, who is of Indo-Fijian ancestry. Her family ran a traditional departmental store. He has a lucrative investment portfolio, including warehouse investments.
He later worked as a model in New Zealand before beginning his acting career in India.
An actor known for playing villainous and supporting roles and a film producer, he has worked in Hindi, Telugu, and other films. Among his better-known Bollywood movies are “Gunda” (1998), “Sarfarosh” (1999), and “Koi… Mil Gaya” (2003).
The Autumn Session of the J&K Assembly will end on October 31. With its conclusion, all the top offices of government, including those of the Chief Minister, his cabinet colleagues, the Chief Secretary, administrative secretaries and the Director General of Police (DGP) will move to the winter capital Jammu.
The move is called the “Dabar Move” and will see the offices functioning for six months from the winter capital, Jammu.
The over one and a half century old practice of shuttling offices between Srinagar and Jammu was stopped by the Lt Governor in 2021, but has been restored by the elected government headed by Omar Abdullah.
Bollywood
Rohit Roy calls son Agasthya ‘the best looking Bose Roy’ as he turns 18

Mumbai Oct 25: Actor Rohit Bose Roy penned a lovely birthday wish for his son, Agasthya Bose Roy, as he turned 18 years old on Saturday.
The ‘Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand’ actor took to his official Instagram handle and posted a cute father-son photo of the two making goofy expressions. Both Rohit and Agasthya were seen twinning in pink.
Calling his son the ‘best looking Bose Roy’, Rohit penned on the photo-sharing app, “Happy birthday to my one and only… To the best looking Bose Roy…May all your dreams come true and much more!!! Can’t believe you are 18 already! (sic)”
“For me, you will forever remain a chotu (red heart emoji) Love you Agu,” he added.
Actor Sanjay Kapoor also wished Agasthya in the comment section, saying, “Happy birthday”, along with a red heart emoji.
Back in August this year, Rohit came up with a special video for his better half, Manasi Joshi Roy, suggesting that couples should always “rekindle romance”.
Dropping a beautifully traditional video of his wife on social media, Rohit penned the caption, “Whenever asked for tips on lasting relationships, my one constant has been- Try and rekindle the romance every opportunity you get. Romance gets stale and practicality seeps into every relationship after a few years and it’s your job to go back and realize why you fell in love with her in the first place. Manasi irritates the f@&k out of me on a daily basis (no strike that, on an hourly basis) and I return the favour with equal fervor ! (sic).”
He further wrote, “But both of us are also very quick to get back and find that happy space coz we have no idea what the argument was about..No marriage is without its own set of unique challenges.. but if you treat everyday as a new day and every year as your first anniversary, more often than not, the happy will outweigh the ugly… These are not words from any book on relationships, this is what we have lived through and I still feel happy when I create a reel for her that makes her smile… So keep doing these little things for each other. Giving up is the easy way out, but for me, marriages are forever. They might be made in heaven but they have to survive on earth, so do your best.”
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