Runway 34 movie stars Ajay Devgn and Amitabh Bachchan
Highlights
- Ajay Devgn's upcoming directorial Runway 34 was earlier titled May Day
- Runway 34 is the story of pilot, played by Ajay, who 'blindly landed' an aircraft with 150 people
- Consequently, Ajay's character Captain Vikrant is put on trial for his dangerous actions
The trailer of Ajay Devgn, Amitabh Bachchan and Rakul Preet Singh starrer Runway 34 was launched recently. It showcases the thrilling ride of an aircraft suspended mid-air, more than 35,000 feet above the ground, with 150 passengers on board. The aircraft is flown by Ajay and Rakul's characters with difficulties coming towards them as they cannot land their flight due to heavy rainfall and poor visibility. Captain Vikrant Khanna played by Ajay is a prodigal pilot, one who is too confident about his flying skills. However, a fateful incident changes it all.
The trailer of Runway 34 shows glimpses of the flight mid-air going into serious turbulence as Vikrant attempts a landing with the help of his co-pilot. With all the action unfolding, the aircraft passengers await their fate. Thereafter, we follow Amitabh Bachchan as Narayan Vedant on his quest to get to the bottom of the truth of this flight and his turbulent encounter with Vikrant.
Read: 'Ajay Devgn always wanted to be a director', reveals childhood friend Rohit Shetty
Runway 34 is directed by Ajay. It is said to be inspired by 'real events'. As the trailer launched, many were left wondering which incident does the movie base itself upon.
The 'real story' behind Runway 34
The 2015 Jet Airways Doha Kochi flight incident had escaped media attention back in time. In Runway 34, the 'gravest of the safety incidents ever occurred at any of the Indian airports' will be recreated. Including the crew, 150 people were on board the aircraft.
What really happened on this flight?
The incident occurred on August 18, 2015 when Jet Airways flight 9W 555, a Boeing 737-800, arrived from Doha, the Capital of Qatar, over Kochi at 5.45 in the morning. There was not enough visibility for the aircraft to land because of the haze that followed heavy rain during the previous night. After holding over Kochi for almost half an hour, the pilot decided to divert to Trivandrum. When it reached Trivandrum, visibility at Trivandrum also was less than what was required for a visual landing. Ideally, the aircraft should have been diverted to the nearest airport, which in this case was Bengaluru, which is 15 minutes away, but they decided to re-route it to Trivandrum, which is about an hour from Kochi.
The pilots of flight declared “May Day” and managed to land 'blindly' only in the seventh attempt after doing an unprecedented six go-arounds — a flight path taken by an aircraft after an aborted approach to land — in two airports. Had the pilots gone for another go-around, the plane would have crashed because there was not enough fuel left, officials said.
The pilot however could manage to land the aircraft. The landing turned out to be without any hitch. But the episode turned out to be one of the most serious safety occurrences that could happen at any airport.
Ajay vs Big B
One of the most interesting aspects of Runway 34 is the face-off between Ajay, who is put to trial for his erratic actions as the pilot. Big B will be putting him on the stand. In the trailer, Big B says, "Everyone can make a mistake. But accepting your mistakes reflects your character."
Rakul Preet Singh as co-pilot
Rakul Preet Singh plays Ajay's co-pilot in Runway 34. She is one of the main characters in the movie who witnessed the entire incident first-hand and will be put on trial for her actions.
When is Runway 34 releasing?
Runway 34 is set to release on Eid, April 29.
