Bollywood actors Ajay Devgn and Rakul Preet Singh were in the national capital to launch the second trailer of their upcoming film ‘Runway 34’. A2zoftrends caught up with them to know more about the film.
The showcase of real-life stories has carved a niche in the Indian cinema. Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn’s association with films inspired by real-life stories is a thing. After Tanhaji, Shivaay and Bhuj: The Pride of India, he is back with Runway 34 that too shares a real-life incident.
The film is inspired by a 2015 incident involving a Jet Airways flight (from Doha to Kochi) that narrowly escaped disaster due to poor visibility. Calling the film dramatic, Ajay said that he does not intend to scare audiences but educate them about the role of captain and other officials.
“We wanted to bring the aviation industry in good light. The idea is to familiarise the audiences about the struggles that a captain, air traffic control (ATC) officials and passengers face in such a situation. The story is not about air turbulence but also the turbulence that happens in the lives of people due to the mishap,” he added.
As the director of the film, Ajay has refrained from using a set. He shot the scenes in a real cockpit. But shooting wasn’t a cakewalk.
“Creating drama within a small space with seven cameras was not easy. We had to create turbulence and the atmosphere of fear, panic and tension in the same space. Visualising the scenes was challenging,” he said.
Ajay will share the screen space with Rakul Preet Singh, Amitabh Bachchan and Boman Irani. Apparently, all actors had to put in a lot of sweat and hard work to showcase their onscreen character.
Rakul shared, “We took a special training for a few days to understand the cockpit in a better way. It was also essential for us to familiarise ourselves with the functions of different buttons. We also took help from pilots and officials from the ATC to understand the nuances and coordination that ensures safety while traveling.”
Ajay onboarded a real-life captain on the set to train his co-stars about the technical aspects and other mannerisms.
“Our trainer made sure that we were using the right language and buttons. Whenever we wore the uniform, we had that sense of dignity. So, the way we walked and spoke also changed,” she said.
This is 17th time that Ajay will work with Amitabh Bachchan. When asked if he felt nervous in the legendary actor’s presence, he replied, “The best thing about Amit ji is that he doesn’t let any actor feel nervous. He is an inspiration for all of us. I don’t think any actor puts in so much of hard work and passion the way he does. When an actor works with him, he inspires to direct him.”
Runway 34 was originally named as ‘MayDay’ but its name was changed as some people associated the film with the Labour Day (also called as May Day).
Shares Ajay, “We originally named it May Day as it means the last hope during the emergency. But a lot of people could not understand its meaning. They thought that the film is on Labour Day (Labour Day is also called as May Day). That’s when we decided to name it ‘Runway 34’. In every airport, runways are numbered. We chose this name because through the film, we have explained why the captain decided to land the aircraft on Runway 34, despite being an impossible task.”
Ajay will play the role of Captain Vikrant Khanna in the film that releases on Eid, i.e., 29 April.