Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn is one of the very few leading men who have also taken the directorial plunge, helming some of the movies he starred in. His first directorial venture was 2008’s U, Me Aur Hum, a romantic tale revolving around a woman suffering from Alzheimer’s. It was just a moderate success while his next directorial Shivayy turned out to be a box office success. However, the very next film he made, Runway 34, was downright rejected by the audience. This 2022 thriller film was said to be inspired by an aviation incident of Jet Airways flight 9W-555 from Doha to Kochi on August 17, 2015.
Runway 34 had received praise from critics and Ajay Devgn’s direction had received acclaim but despite good reviews, the film greatly underperformed at the box office. Even the presence of stalwarts like Amitabh Bachchan and Boman Irani could not save the film. Rakul Preet Singh played the female lead in the movie.
According to Box Office India, the makers had spent Rs 105 crore, but Runway 34 made just about Rs 54 crore at the box office. The movie could not even recover its cost, let alone make a profit at the box office. Many believe that the timing of the movie’s release, right after the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic may have led to low footfall, but this theory is debunked by trade experts who point out that films like RRR and KGF: Chapter 2 released around the same time and were huge blockbusters.
Ajay Devgn next directed Bholaa released last year. It was an official remake of the Tamil film Kaithi starring Karthi, the movie that kickstarted the Lokesh Cinematic Universe. Bholaa was received better than Runway 34 and the film grossed Rs 111 crore worldwide against a Rs 100 crore budget.
Ajay Devgn will soon be seen in the film Singham Again.
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