After 9 hits in 5 years, will Ajay Devgn continue the streak with 'Runway 34'?

Ajay Devgn in 'Runway 34'. (Source: Twitter.com/@ajaydevgn)

The last time Ajay Devgn gave us a flop was five years ago, in 2017, when Baadshaho garnered a lacklustre response from audiences. Since then - the pandemic years notwithstanding - Devgn has given Bollywood nine hits.

Here's a quick recap of the nine: Golmaal Again arrived in 2017, Raid and Simmba were 2018 releases, in 2019 he scored successes with Total Dhamaal and De De Pyaar De, 2020 saw the arrival of Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, 2021 was good too with Sooryavanshi, and now 2022 has seen the releases of Gangubai Kathiawadi and RRR.

Devgn played the lead in five of these nine films - Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, De De Pyaar De, Total Dhamaal, Raid, and Golmaal Again. A couple of these had him play an important part in the cop universe created by Rohit Shetty (Simmba, Sooryavanshi) while this year's RRR [Hindi] and Gangubai Kathiawadi had him in a special appearance each.

With Eid release Runway 34, he would naturally be hoping to continue the streak (if we may call it that, given that Bhuj: The Pride of India, which released in 2021 has an IMDB rating of 5.4/10).

Runway 34 was previously called 'MayDay'.

Four of the nine hits listed above went on to join the Rs 200 crore club and five gained entry in the Rs 100 crore club. Bhuj: The Pride of India released directly on an OTT platform (Disney+Hotstar), and so no box office numbers are attached to it.

Producer, director, actor

What makes Runway 34 even more interesting for fans and critics alike is that Devgn isn't just acting in it but also producing and directing the film.

As a director, Devgn has previously attempted to make good-looking glossy entertainers like U Me aur Hum and Shivaay. Neither of these films made big bucks at the box office, though. Whether he can buck this trend with Runway 34, yet another glossy film based on the true story of a captain who had to crash land a flight in crisis, is the question to ask here.

A small detour, and possibly a happy coincidence: The film sees Devgn come together with Amitabh Bachchan. When Devgn's father Veeru Devgn had turned director with Hindustan Ki Kasam, Big B had a major role in that film. Back in 1999 when the film had released, it had set the record for the biggest opening day in the history of Bollywood - it had netted Rs 1.50 crore, a massive number back then, on Day 1. Though it's impossible to predict such a result today, Bollywood enthusiasts will likely be moved by the parallel.

Post Runway 34, Ajay Devgn has a few more film lined up for 2022. His Maidaan, which was supposed to release in 2021, is ready and expected to arrive in theatres on June 3. Then there is the social comedy Thank God which brings him back with his Ishq, Masti and Total Dhamaal director Indra Kumar, releasing on July 29. He has also started shooting for Bhola, a remake of the South hit Kaithi, as well as Drishyam 2, sequel to the Malayalam hit. One waits to see if one of these two films too releases in the second half of 2022.

Eid release Runway 34 is slated to release in theatres on April 29. With a string of nine Rs 100 crore and Rs 200 crore successes behind him, he would well be aiming to make it 10 in a row with this one.

Box-office collections of the last 9 Ajay Devgn films that released in theatres

RRR [Hindi]: Rs 232 crore (and counting)

Gangubai Kathiawadi: Rs 129 crore

Sooryavanshi: Rs 197 crore

Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior: Rs 280 crore

De De Pyaar De: Rs 103.5 crore

Total Dhamaal: Rs 154.23 crore

Simmba: Rs 240.31 crore

Raid: Rs 103.07 crore

Golmaal Again: Rs 205.70 crore