Let’s be honest, while we’ve seen numerous attempts at Dil Chahta Hai, YJHD, and ZNMD, there’s hardly any similar representation of women in Bollywood. I mean, the last movie I remember that tried it was ‘Thank You For Coming’, and I don’t think we should be talking about it. So when “Crew” ka trailer dropped, I was actually so excited. Firstly because of the amazing cast, and secondly because for once, the storyline involving female leads actually seemed interesting. But oh bhai, kya hi disappointing movie this. Like, it starts out hilarious, and while the leads are on absolute fire, movie khatam hone par laga ki shayad ghar baithkar Delhi Capitals ka match dekh leta toh zyada maza aata.
Plot
Three middle-class women struggling to make ends meet dive into a beautiful friendship born out of their mutual profession- being flight attendants for the Kohinoor Airlines. The first half shows you all the adversities they face being stuck in middle class jobs- paying back loans, helping a brother who is an addict, paying for children’s education etc. Par ek din jab “veg/non-veg” karte karte unki halat kharab ho jaati hai the universe gives them a sign. The head attendant of their flight suddenly passes away and the 3 musketeers, Kriti, Tabu and Bebo find his dead body with 12 kgs of gold stuck to him??? Bas ho jaata hai kaand shuru. They decide to become smugglers and go on to carry out a crazy heist. But hold your horses, it isn’t as fun as it sounds :/
Performances
Now this is a part where I can’t find faults. There is a natural chemistry between the 3 that looks so good on screen. Honestly, I wasn’t sure of the trio bonding as a team, considering their age gap, but bro it works wonders for the film. Tabu was slaying as the mother of the group, the wise one always working logically, Bebo was just playing an evil version of Geet X Poo, a sly gangsta who always had a plan B up her sleeve, and Kriti was like their lost puppy, just cutely following their commands. The lines are raw and Tabu cracks them with a deadpan face. The line could be funny, but it felt funnier because she was saying it. Kareena brought her character to life. With her charm and top-notch fashion sense, it’s kinda hard to not love her. Also, really amazed how Kriti didn’t let herself be overshadowed by the presence of such gigantic leads. Overall, W cast performance guys.
Direction and Writing
The direction may not be flawed but the writing certainly was. The script in the first half feels monotonous, and in the second half, rushed. They planned this heist to take down this crime lord in 5 minutes, but the execution felt…lousy and unrealistic?? Also, it felt like they were trying to juggle a lot of topics at once… and really made a mess out of it. And it also lacked intensity in tense moments and left you feeling very unexcited for the climax. Maa kasam I was squirming in my seat I got so bored and just couldn’t wait to exit the theatre! Hey but at least, the direction brought the story to life and showed how women always stick together! BIG SLAY.
Screenplay and Cinematography
Look, it’s a fun movie when the leads are on screen. However, so much more could have been done to make this film a super hit! Even if it’s just a 2 hour film, it feels WAYY too stretched and repetitive. It looks like a can of fresh and chilled Thums Up, but one sip of it and you know all the fizz is gone and ab bas cheeni paani bachi hai. Here’s the bright side though, I appreciated how this movie was feminist in the sense of showing refreshing and realistic women, who were flawed but not undesirable. They didn’t keep resorting to the clichéd chatter of boyfriends and orgasms, but instead, reflected real middle-class women stuck in the loop of life ke tante, but never backing down and continuing to fight! But yeah, still a long way to go for Bollywood to make amazing female centric friendship movies.
So finally, I can say that I have mixed feelings. If you have a lot of khaali time and a knack for fashion, go ahead and watch this film. The laughs are nice, but the story is just straight-up disappointing. Wait for the OTT release I’d suggest, cuz this one’s not worth going to the cinemas.
