- Date of Release: 29 March 2024
- Genre: Comedy, Drama
- Language: Hindi
Crew
Introduction
March 2024 has seen a rebirth of the comedy genre that was completely ignored for so many years now, and I can’t be happier! If it was Madgaon Express last week, it is the Crew this week, why should boys have all the fun? With that, I finished watching the new Hindi film Crew which is now available in a theatre near you. And I was really anticipating a mad, mad ride due to one name involved – Rajesh Krishnan. It was during the lockdown that I had witnessed a hilarious comedy, Lootcase that was helmed by Rajesh and it made me believe that here was a director who understands his craft with respect to constructing a comedy that would most definitely tickle your funny bone. To top it, the casting coup of Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Kriti Sanon really made things interesting, given how the Hindi films are generally devoid of a multi-star cast, more so with respect to the actresses. So there was lots going in favour of the film before I decided to venture in a theatre to watch Crew, does it manage to impress, let’s find out.
Story & Screenplay
Crew follows the story of three air-hostesses from Mumbai who take up a side hustle of smuggling gold to meet their ambitions. This until they find themselves in a pickle for all the wrong reasons. The story here is interesting but straight up the gags here did not quite make me laugh enough, the way I had previously expected. The writing does ensure that the drama is enjoyable but it never really soars above the wavelength that it does originally cater to. I liked how the story did take a real-life scam and weaved it into a fun heist drama of sorts but the true USP of the film is the character dynamics between the three protagonists who ensure that the flight is sailing over the screenplay standing at just above 2 hours. It sure is a fun ride but falls a little short in the writing department.
The drama opens with the chaos at the airport wherein the security is alerted about an ongoing heist. The three prime accused who happen to be the three protagonists are asked to step aside before the drama breaks into a non-linear narrative. This for me was a smart beginning given that it didn’t completely waste minutes on the world building while doing just enough to provide a little backstory of each of the three protagonists who are high on ambition but low on financial income. The drama is setup against the ‘Kohinoor’ airlines run by a certain Vijay Walia(yeh naam kahin sunela lagta hai) who is on the verge of bankruptcy, so much so that there are payments dues pending of all the staff members. Amidst this and in a strange turn of events following a death on a flight, one of the protagonists discovers as ongoing smuggle taking place, something that she and her two friends become party to, thus beginning a intertwining saga of a heist in the air! The conflict – they need to ensure they aren’t caught while also being alive!
The proceedings are fairly engaging and quite enjoyable too. And most of this virtue is attributed to the infectious dynamics between the three leads, and the banter that they share with each other. The events are breezy in the first hour and don’t really weigh the film down at any point. Yes, the gags aren’t as funny as they ought to have been, but the sequence of events coupled with the dynamics ensure that it is a fun ride. Here, I must also add that there aren’t any highs in the screenplay which was such a shame. The writing was comfortable in moving at an auto-pilot mode along the same wavelength, whereas the reality was that it needed to soar a little more higher for a better impact. But things are set decently well for the fun quotient to kick in, in the second hour.
There is a considerable amount of lag in the first 30 odd minutes of the second hour that made me slightly more distracted than I would have ideally imagined. There is a lull even with respect to the fun quotient that lingers on for a little too long. Had this period been trimmed a bit, and the same runtime been added to the final act, the drama may have been a little more impactful. But credit where due, the fun quotient does kick in, in the final 30 minutes when the protagonists try to get even that unleashes a chain of events which are enjoyable. Yes, the perennial problem of not allowing the writing to soar stays but there were some genuinely funny moments that did make me crack up. The climax was simplistic but fairly enjoyable thereby summing up a screenplay that is decently well penned but mostly devoid of laugh out loud gags.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are witty and some of the one-liners(a few double meaning ones too) definitely land well. But the lines needed to be sharper for the brand of comedy that it intended to portray. The music is terrific and the songs really hit the sweet spot here. The renditions of yesteryear’s hits are peppy and definitely go well with the vibe of the drama. The BGM is adequate too and definitely lends a good helping hand here in complimenting the vibe of the drama. The cinematography captures some stellar frames that maintain the underlying intensity of the drama. The editing could have been tighter especially in the post interval portions that considerably dried out the fun quotient in the drama. Director Rajesh Krishnan does a good job here although I wouldn’t say that he absolutely nailed it here. He does well in keeping the viewers engaged and maintains the fun quotient in the drama pretty well. I did have a little staging issue in the final act that had a good recall value but should have been fleshed out better. But overall, the director does a fairly good job here.
Performances
The performances are excellent by the ensemble cast. The veterans Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Rajesh Sharma and Saswata Chatterjee make their presence felt. Charu Shankar as Mrs Mittal is an absolute joy to witness and she goes a commendable job. Pooja Bhamrrah as Komal has a good screen presence and delivers a measured performance. Both Diljit Dosanjh and Kapil Sharma as Jayveer and Rao respectively had very little to do but they do add starpower to the drama. Garima Yajnik is absolutely hilarious to the core despite having a limited screen time. And if the climax did work despite having flaws then a part of the credit must go to her for literally finding gags out of nowhere, a sign that she is just so comfortable with comedy(casting directors, are you listening?). Trupti Khamkar as the airport officer is first rate and manages to tickle your funny bone with her impeccable comic timing.
Kriti Sanon as Divya looks pretty and does a fine job here. She is able to balance the humour in her character without really going overboard, and I quite enjoyed her act here. Kareena Kapoor Khan aka our beloved Bebo as Jasmine is phenomenal to watch here and I really liked the manner in which she let herself loose and surrender to the vision of the makers. And, there is no one that matches the swag of our ‘Poo’ even today! Tabu as Geeta is a powerhouse of a performer(and we all know that). But her ability to find extracts of humour at unexpected places and in the process, nail her one-liners is what made her performance quite brilliant. She was receptive to the surroundings and often was just reactive to the lines that added to the fun elements in the drama. The chemistry between the three of them is infectious and they ensure in keeping the drama flying high despite its flaws.
Conclusion
Despite facing turbulence along the way, Crew is a fun heist drama with enjoyable performances that makes for a decent watch. Do remember to keep your expectations in check owing to not too many laugh out loud moments, but the drama is a fun ride nevertheless. Available in a theatre near you.