‘Crew’ Review: Tabu, Kareena and Kriti’s film flies high, lands safely

Imagine, three women have seemingly glamorous jobs as air hostesses but can barely manage their lives due to lack of money. They finally find a way to get out of the situation, but that involves risk. When they have a brush with the authorities, they re-think their ways and pull up a never-seen-before heist. All this served with a good dose of fun, genuine sisterhood and a lot of sexiness. Now, that’s what makes a good popcorn-binge drama, doesn’t it?

Tabu, Kareena Kapoor and Kriti Sanon’s recently released ‘Crew’ whips up just that! It takes off, keeps well afloat, and faces some turbulence even at landing (quite literally at one point in the film) but ultimately makes a pretty safe landing.

The trailer gave a fair idea of what this con comedy is about. Geetha Sethi (Tabu), Jasmine (Kareena Kapoor), and Divya Rana (Kriti Sanon) are stewardesses at Kohinoor Airlines, whose chairman is Vijay Walia (Saswata Chatterjee). No point for guessing who the makers are trying to take a dig at. The airline is on the verge of bankruptcy, but the HR head, Walia’s right-hand man (Rajesh Sharma), assures everyone that all is well.

The employees are trying to keep afloat, with loans on their heads or their PFs stuck. They are not even able to pay their rent on time. That’s when the three ladies stumble upon gold and smuggling it would mean enough money for a luxurious life.

The film starts when the authorities detain these three, and you are left wondering if they will be caught. But, that’s not the film. I won’t spoil the fun by spelling everything out.

What I want to bet my money on in this film is the sisterhood that it portrays. It’s genuine and doesn’t seem forced at any point. The jokes, the camaraderie, the fights and the patch-up – that’s actually how women function.

The male characters are introduced to push the three female leads and their arc forward. Most significant are Arun Sethi (Kapil Sharma), a home chef who dreams of having his own restaurant in Goa, and Jaiveer (Diljit Dosanjh), who has a soft corner for ‘Divya Rana from Haryana’. There’s Jasmine’s lovable grandfather (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) too, who is just there to support his granddaughter unconditionally.

The writing, by Nidhi Mehra and Mehul Suri, is crisp and keeps the pace steady throughout the film. It very beautifully covers up the few loopholes here and there. The build-up in the first half is good, but the second half is where it gets better.

Director Rajesh Krishnan has a reputation for churning out good comedies, having directed ‘Tripling’ and ‘Lootcase’. This one is on a grander scale, but he manages to pilot it just as perfectly.

What makes the movie fly higher is the performance. The three leads pull off a perfectly-timed and well-done comedy. They individually stand out and create a riot together. Tabu is the senior actor and, despite flaws in how her character is sketched out, she proves why she is one of the finest around. She nails the comedy just as perfectly as she pulled off a ‘Maqbool’ or ‘Haider’. She is the perfect embodiment of the middle class among the three.

Kareena Kapoor is effortless as Jasmine, who wants to portray herself as rich and wouldn’t bat an eyelid if she had to do something illegal for a few extra bucks. She is unapologetic, sassy and carefree, and that is what makes her stand out. Kareena gets into the skin of the character and performs with ease, but she must have taken quite some effort to perfect it.

Kriti Sanon is the youngest, and least experienced in the trio, but she too stands out with her performance as this no-nonsense, morally upright girl who has had her own shortcomings. Despite all that, she lies to her parents daily about her job and is stuck in a web of lies that she has created around her to keep up with her image. Her character, hence, has also been given this moral dilemma and a layer that others have not so graciously been bestowed with. Kriti has her shortcomings in some scenes, but puts up a genuine effort. She manages to hold her space even though she has stalwarts like Tabu and Kareena beside her in each frame.

One of the biggest flaws of the film is the uber-stylish outfits that the seemingly middle-class characters get to wear. Not to mention, too many brand placements throughout the film become a kill joy. It gets overboard after a point!

In times when political dramas trying to make a statement abound, 'Crew' is a welcome change. It’s light, easy-breezy and stays true to being a masala entertainer. This is a film where you do not need to put your brain, and can just enjoy a hearty laugh. Just like ‘Madgaon Express’, that was released last week, this one gets its comic timing right and is a good watch.