A heist film out to provide some naughty fun
A greedy and greedy trio of flight attendants the crewA crime comedy that is at best a fit-and-start affair. The low-yield film taxis to its designated runway without any visible obstructions but, once airborne, is subject to strong headwinds and lots of uncomfortable swaying.
Positive first. Yes, there are some, Kareena Kapoor no less, who has turned back the clock a bit and let her hair down without a care in the world. He comes over Trump. Taboo, despite shouldering a rather sketchily portrayed character, has to carry most of the weight of the film on his shoulders.
Besides, at a time when a section of Bollywood is busy selectively creating history lessons and polarizing propaganda movies on us, a heist film is out to provide some harmless fun without an agenda, not even a feminist one (which would be fine anyway), which is what it is. Should be praised for being – a no-nonsense caper about the rich looting the nation and three representatives of a struggling middle class seeking to pay back the rich in their own currency.
That is another matter the crew It would be a lot more fun if only it knew how to make things with a stroke of true inspiration. Yes, it’s missing in a film that goes for gold but fails to find a source of sustained brilliance.
Nidhi Mehra and Mehul Suri’s screenplay lacks a brilliance that can distract us from the film’s flaws. It tries its darndest to be funny. It succeeds only sporadically and mildly.
Three feisty women who aren’t averse to bending the rules to further their own ends. They do not, however, stand on soap-boxes and talk about empowerment and gender equality. They achieved both in no uncertain terms. Their fight is against the airlines that they work for and against many of their own in life.
The film’s protagonists, airhostesses who haven’t received their salaries for six months, stumble upon a golden opportunity when their in-flight supervisor (Ramakanta Dayama) falls about 35,000 feet in the air. They soon discover that the pursuit of gold – imperative as it is – has its share of pitfalls.
Tabu plays Geeta Shetty, a former Miss Karnal who is happily married but spends her waking hours worrying about unpaid wages and mounting loan defaults. Kareena Kapoor plays Jasmine Kohli, who is raised by her maternal grandfather (Kulbhushan Kharvanda). Even as she struggles to pay her rent, the cheerful woman dreams of owning a beauty products company. His mantra: Always have a Plan B.
Kriti Sanon is Divya Rana, a class topper in a nondescript town in Haryana with a never-used airstrip. He is a trained pilot but the downturn in the aviation industry has forced him to settle for a job as a cabin crew member. She hides the truth from her parents for fear of breaking their hearts.
Geeta, Jasmine and Divya, who are thick as thieves but test their friendship time and time again, don’t shy away when the opportunity comes to change their fate. But they have a relentless customs official, Sub-Inspector Mala (Tripti Khamkar, who steals some leading lady’s vajras).
Acting on a tip-off, the sub-inspector orders a thorough search of the plane that Geeta, Jasmine and Divya are on. Three women were forced to deboard. They are being scanned on suspicion of smuggling gold from Mumbai to an imaginary country in the Middle East.
This is the point where the crew The film begins and returns to the same juncture at the intermission mark. The second half loses steam rather quickly as there is no element of surprise in what the protagonists do to fix things for themselves.
Wait, there is one. Customs officer Jayveer Singh (guest star Diljit Dosanjh) pops up and the film gains a bit more. Divya knows him, having had a brief encounter with him once after a pint of beer. Will the guy bail on the girls for old time’s sake?
the crew Director Rajesh A. Krishnan’s first theatrical release. He debuted on a streaming platform in 2020 with Live the booty. The two films, different in scale and ambition, are bound by their expression of absurdity and sympathy for the victims of an economic system in which the rich get richer and the poor survive on unrealistic aspirations.
Its three main characters the crew However, the game is not for the hunters. The men in their lives are nice blokes. Geeta’s husband (Kapil Sharma in a special appearance) stands by her through thick and thin. Jasmine’s grandfather is both herd and protector. And the man who moves up and down in Divya’s life – Jayveer – can charm birds from trees without lifting a finger.
What girls demand is a good deal from life and the wallet that controls it. They are done with their fake lives and fake vibes – best illustrated by Jasmine filling a Louis Vuitton bag for a selfie with her. Whatever the consequences they are now ready to turn the tables on their exploiters. There are many possibilities that remain untapped.
the crew A flight that never reaches cruising altitude. It runs low on fuel precisely when taking off from the ground. Stuck on a narrative tarmac strewn with predictable absurdities, the film is undeniably beautiful to watch for all the glamor and sass the three lead actresses bring to the table. But the beauty we see on screen is only skin-deep.
