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
Mumbai cops intensify manhunt, get footage of intruder buying headphones after attack on Saif
New Delhi, Jan 18: Even as red-faced Mumbai Police was unable to apprehend the intruder who entered Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan’s upscale Bandra residence in Mumbai on January 16, the cops on Saturday got some footage of the attacker buying headphones after the crime. The actor’s wife actress Kareena Kapoor Khan also gave a statement to the Bandra police.
According to media reports quoting sources, the reportedly delayed response by Bandra police to the attack on the actor has drawn criticism from senior officials of the Crime Branch, who allege that immediate action could have led to the swift apprehension of the suspect. Sources said the intruder escaped due to a lack of coordination and timely alerts to other police units, including the Crime Branch and the Government Railway Police (GRP).
In a separate development, it was revealed that after the attack on Saif Ali Khan, the assailant travelled to the Dadar area in Mumbai, specifically to the Kaptan Khana locality, where he purchased a pair of headphones from a mobile shop.
The crime branch investigators, led by several officers, visited the shop and checked the CCTV footage for any evidence. The shopkeeper was questioned but stated that he had no knowledge of the attack or why the crime branch had arrived at his store.
The police also inspected the shop’s CCTV footage as part of their ongoing investigation. The investigation took a new turn when the police located the auto-rickshaw driver, Bhajan Singh Rana, who had transported Saif to Lilavati Hospital after the attack.
The Bandra police station has now recorded the rickshaw driver’s statement as part of their enquiry into the events surrounding the attack.
Despite the efforts of over 30 police teams, the attacker remains at large, and authorities are actively pursuing leads to apprehend him.
Police have launched a manhunt, analyzing CCTV footage and witness statements to track down the assailant. The motive behind the attack is still unclear, but authorities are exploring all possible angles, including personal and professional connections to the actor.
Meanwhile, in her statement to the cops, Kareena described how she and her family reacted during the frightening ordeal and explained that as soon as the attack began, she sent the children and other women in the household to the 12th floor for safety.
Saif Ali Khan, in a heroic attempt to protect them, intervened when the attacker tried to reach the family members, preventing him from getting closer.
Kareena also informed the police that the attacker did not steal anything from their home, but was extremely aggressive. She mentioned that the attacker repeatedly tried to harm Saif, who bravely attempted to defend himself. After the attack, Kareena, shaken and distressed, was taken to her sister Karisma Kapoor’s house for safety.
The actor was repeatedly stabbed during the assault, suffering multiple injuries, including wounds to his neck and close to his spine. He was rushed to Lilavati Hospital in an autorickshaw by his elder son from a first marriage and underwent emergency surgery.
Doctors at the hospital have stated that Saif Ali Khan is recovering well and is expected to be discharged in two to three days.
Bollywood
Arjun Kapoor & Mudassar Aziz Injured After Ceiling Collapses On Mere Husband Ki Biwi Set In Mumbai, Crew Member Suffers Spinal Injury
Arjun Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar were recently filming for a song for their upcoming film Mere Husband Ki Biwi at Imperial Palace, Royal Palms in Mumbai, when the ceiling collapsed, leaving Arjun, producer Jackky Bhagnani, and director Mudassir Aziz injured.
Ashok Dubey from the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) spoke to ETimes, explaining that since the location had been there for a long time, the vibrations from the sound caused the set to tremble, which led to further portions falling off.
Ashok revealed that he injured his elbow and head, and that Mudassar was hurt, along with other crew members. The DOP, Manu Anand, fractured his thumb, while the camera attendant suffered a spinal injury. Expressing gratitude, he stated that no one was critically hurt, which was a blessing. Even our camera attendant injured his spine.
Further, Choreographer Vijay Ganguly, who worked on the song, stated that the first day of shooting went well; however, things took a drastic turn on the second day.
“We were on the monitor when suddenly the ceiling collapsed. Luckily, it fell in parts, and we had a trough to protect us. Had the entire ceiling fallen on us, it could have been disastrous, but many people still got hurt. These old locations are often used for shoots, and as production companies, we are sure that the safety measures are checked. However, many times, the safety of the location isn’t properly verified before it’s offered for shooting,” Ganguly shared.
Dubey said that they have written to the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, and the BMC to highlight the safety concerns.
“We have written to the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, and the BMC to highlight the safety concerns. We also raised the issue with the Fire Department, which confirmed that Chitrakoot’s structure has permission only for 90 days, yet it remains standing,” Dubey said.
Bollywood
Saif Ali Khan stabbing case: Hospital bill of Rs 25 lacs in two days?
Mumbai, Jan 17: Actor Saif Ali Khan’s unverified bill has been leaked online, and it shows an initial requested amount of Rs 35, 98, 700 against an approved amount of Rs 250, 00, 000.
The document states that the actor suffered an injury to an unspecified region. However, it should be noted that the document has not been verified by the hospital authorities, and has been doing rounds on social media.
Earlier, in the day, Mumbai police recovered an old sword from the actor’s house, it is unclear if it is a part of the actor’s ancestral property. Safi, who belongs to the lineage of Nawabs, is the owner of many antique and priced possessions including the Pataudi Palace in Haryana.
Saif was reportedly attacked by an assailant who barged into his Bandra house through his youngest son, Jeh’s room during the wee hours of Thursday.
As per media reports, doctors removed the 2.5 inches of knife from his wound. The actor, who underwent a surgery, has now been shifted to the ICU and is said to be out of danger.
The actor was stabbed multiple times in an attempt to fight off a burglar during the wee hours of Thursday. The actor sustained six stab wounds, two of which are said to be serious as they are closer to his spine. The incident took place at 2:15 am when the burglar allegedly barged into their Bandra home, and attacked their house help and then Saif when he intervened.
Saif was woken up by the commotion in his son Jeh’s room. He went inside the room to see the culprit arguing with their house help, looking at this, Saif intervened to save the house help with bare hands to fight off the intruder.
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