Director: Rajesh A Krishnan
Cast: Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Kriti Sanon, Diljit Dosanjh, Kapil Sharma, Trupti Khamkar, Rajesh Sharma, Saswata Chatterjee, Charu Shankar
Where: In theatres near you
Rating: 3 stars
As you settle in to watch a film showcasing the talents of three accomplished leading ladies, each a shining star in her own right, you find yourself witnessing a monumental stride towards movies driven by women. The essence of the narrative is pretty simple: girls just wanna have fun and you eagerly hop alongside them for a ride.
Directed by Rajesh A Krishnan, you board the latest flight of fancy, Crew, a narrative centred around three vibrant flight attendants. Featuring Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Kriti Sanon, the film is a refreshing heist drama, that doesn’t needlessly tread into the territory of male-bashing or delivering an overly preachy narrative on women empowerment.
Geeta Sethi (Tabu), Jasmine Kohli (Kareena) and Divya Rana (Kriti) find themselves grappling with the worth of their jobs while serving at Kohinoor Airlines. The airline's fortunes are dwindling leaving its employees in a dire financial crisis, with many going unpaid for as long as six months. Sounds familiar, right? A former beauty queen, Geeta dreams of opening a restaurant with her husband Arun (played by Kapil Sharma in a special appearance).
Jasmine, who has relied on her own instincts with emotional support from her maternal grandfather, aspires to be an entrepreneur and is unapologetically driven by the desire to be rich. Divya, a top-performing student from a town that does not have an airport, has always harboured dreams of becoming a pilot. However, her stroke of misfortune leads her to become a flight attendant, a reality she hides away from her family, in an effort to keep their hopes up.
With prospects appearing bleak, the trio seize the opportunity to alter their fates when they stumble upon an unimaginable amount of gold belonging to their boss, who collapses suddenly mid-flight. Soon, the women discover that their superiors are caught up in smuggling gold to Dubai. They decide to grab a slice of the very 'humble' pie. But, what will that cost them instead?
Timed over 2 hours and 3 minutes, Crew is well-intentioned, but the writing by Nidhi Mehra and Mehul Suri (who earlier wrote Veere Di Wedding), to put it plainly, lacks depth. Whether it's due to unrealistic expectations or the buzz generated by the pre-release teaser and trailer, viewers might find themselves feeling underwhelmed when the jokes take longer to take-off. Not going to lie, you’ll find yourself getting very impatient. Krishnan, who has helmed the Kunal Kemmu-starrer Lootcase previously, isn’t able to generate that same magic with his new directorial.
However, it is the effortless performances of the three women that manage to elevate the middling material. Based on their character type, you can tell that none of them require over-the-top theatrics for the punches to land. Kareena extends her sass to Jasmine. Tabu draws laughs with her ability to make crude lines sound graceful. Kriti uses her charm to add respectability to Divya. Sadly, there isn’t much for the men to do. Diljit Dosanjh walks in and out of the frame as charming customs officer Jaiveer, who nurtures a soft corner for Divya. Kapil as Arun who runs a cloud kitchen service, almost comes across as an extension to his Zwigato character.
From the supporting cast, only Trupti Khamkar as a hard-nosed cop manages to make an impression. But, Saswata Chatterjee, who plays Vijay Walia (modelled on Vijay Mallya) and Rajesh Sharma as the HR head Mittal are clearly wasted.
Despite its turbulences, Crew doesn’t crash land as you’re left largely entertained by actresses who are unwaveringly dazzling (major props to the styling department) and are having a ball, on-screen. But, to be fair, it would be appreciated if better written material is offered for more films to be fronted by women. Because, Tabu, Kareena and Kriti have already proven their capability to lead films in the past, with elan.
