Crew Movie Review: Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan & Kriti Sanon Steal Our Hearts in a Heist Gifting Us One of The Best Trios

So, this weekend the big Bollywood release was “Crew”, starring Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Kriti Sanon in the lead. Directed by Rajesh Krishnan, who is known for his TVF web-series “Tripling”, and the 2020 comedy-thriller “Lootcase”. The film also stars Diljit Dosanjh and Kapil Sharma in brief roles.

The film aims at telling a story about three diligent friends – Geeta Sethi (Tabu), Jasmine Kohli (Kareena Kapoor Khan) & Divya Rana (Kriti Sanon), working as cabin crew for Kohinoor Airlines. Their peaceful lives take a turn when they are unexpectedly are caught in a difficult situation of gold smuggling, orchestrated by someone with ulterior motives. Now, they are trapped in a never-ending struggle, desperately trying to break free.

Crew appears to be a comedy from its trailer and hence I entered the theatre with the expectation of watching a comedy. But what starts as a comedy soon turns into a heist film. The credit for this twist in the tale completely goes to the writers Nidhi Mehra and Mehul Suri.

There are LOL moments in between but I would be very wrong if I label the movie as a comedy which it clearly is not. It is a heist drama in the garb of a comedy.

Fewer subplots could serve to make the film a little crisper. The Robin Hood part was absolutely not required.

Also, a character conveniently switching sides at the last moment came as somewhat absurd to me.

My money was on Tabu after watching the trailer & she rules the pack. She has looked hot and delivered her lines and emotions perfectly. She ups her game & delivers a very good performance. She’s just effortless & gets a major chunk of screen presence in the movie. 

Kareena Kapoor Khan is undoubtedly the HOTTEST of them all. She’s glowing throughout her performance and is at ease. She maintains the grace and sexiness of her character with utmost elegance.

Kriti Sanon has her moments but they’re very few. She gets the traits of her character very well. The trio shares an enjoyable onscreen chemistry.

Diljit Dosanjh & Kapil Sharma are good in their guest appearances.

Rajesh Sharma, Saswata Chatterjee, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Trupti Khamkar and Charu Shankar provide good support.

What I absolutely loved about the film is that there are very few moments when you get a chance to feel bored. The first half of the film is really very interesting as the non-linear style of storytelling really grips the viewer. The second half is where the logic takes a back seat however no matter how stupid the proceedings are it is still entertaining.

All said and done, Crew is an entertaining film and falls under the one-time-watch category, which you can enjoy with your family and even if you’re watching alone. If you’re taking out those 2 hours make sure you grab a tub of popcorn. Kareena Kapoor Khan has looked like a million dollars!

3 stars for this one!

Shehzada Movie Review: An Overconfident Script That’s High on Style & Low on Substance

One of the things that thrives the most especially when an Eco chamber is created of ‘yes man’ around you are mediocrity. When Vicky Kaushal had done “Govinda Naam Mera” (2022), I had stated how these commercial films that make you explore the bare minimum from a craft standpoint might fill your monetary goals but from strictly an artistic point of view do more of a disservice in the long run as it creates a perception that you’re more than willing to be a part of films that can simply be termed as forgettable. This is what I especially felt when I first saw the few snippets of “Shehzada”, that is partly fun and partly forgettable. Something that breaks my heart because a director like Rohit Dhawan who has supremely entertained us with “Desi Boyz” (2011) & “Dishoom” (2016) and Kartik Aaryan who has given one-hit after the other just should be a part of better stories and treatment. This is not to dismiss the movie entirely and label it as an absolute mess but to tell you that I am not going to be the one shouting at the top of my lungs singing praises for a movie that will be forgotten in few days to come. Released on a day where most people were witnessing the spectacle of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” on the big screen, “Shehzada” I thought would be an addition to the fun films like we have seen in the same genre as a fun comedy like “Main Tera Hero” (2014) but ended up mostly being an offshoot of “Judwaa 2” (2017).

Bantu (Kartik Aaryan) is born to a millionaire industrialist. Randeep (Ronit Roy), and Yashu Nanda (Manisha Koirala). But a bitter-minded worker of theirs, Valmiki (Paresh Rawal), swipes his son with Bantu, who is named Raj (Ankur Rathee). 25 years later, Bantu learns the truth and decides to get back in his real house, called “Swarg”, much against his foster father’s wishes. Bantu falls in love with his boss, Samara (Kriti Sanon), who happens to be Raj’s fiancée. As expected, there is a business rivalry against Nandas for being too honest and true, and with a blink of an eye, you know Bantu is going to fix it for them, along with their inner family issues.

First things first. We all know that “Shehzada” is an official remake of the 2020 Allu Arjun starrer Telegu film “Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo”. Much like the Telegu film, “Shehzada” also follows the age-old formula of the children getting separated at birth till the time nature and situations bring them together and face to face with each other. There is hardly anything in “Shehzada” which does not remind you of “Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo”.

Except for the portrayal of new characters, the script of “Shehzada” offers absolutely nothing new and very conveniently rides on the shoulders of “Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo”. The script of “Shehzada” definitely looks and feels ‘overconfident’ with respect to its being a remake of “Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo”.

It’s Kartik Aaryan who lights up the screen in “Shehzada”. With this film, Kartik has tried his level best to prove that he is ‘The One’. The film rides entirely and solely on his shoulders. Considering that he is starring in a remake of “Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo” which was a gigantic hit in 2020, Kartik Aaryan definitely had a huge responsibility to live up to in the form of the expectations from him to deliver and match up to the caliber of Allu Arjun. Because of the jarring fact that “Shehzada” offers no novelty in its script, Kartik Aaryan is forced to behave like Allu Arjun in practically every second frame. Despite all this, it’s really endearing to watch Kartik Aaryan perform his character with lots of conviction and confidence.

Giving him company is his arm candy and eye candy in the form of Kriti Sanon. Kriti Sanon continues with her regular act like in her previous films. Even the senior and experienced actors like Paresh Rawal, Manisha Koirala, Ronit Roy only ‘exist’ in the film doing their respective characters, although none of them is well defined or explained.

Other actors like Rajpal Yadav, Sachin Khedekar, Ankur Rathee and Ali Asgar try their best to add to the film’s comical moments. Sunny Hinduja looks convincing in the role of a baddie.

As mentioned earlier, the script of “Shehzada” offers nothing new in terms of the story or situations. All the characters from “Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo” have been recreated and re-played by new ones. Even the new characters which one gets to see in “Shehzada” are either insignificant or holds no strong ground of their own. As far as the film’s direction is concerned, Rohit Dhawan stumbles with this film. No doubt he oars the film to the ‘direction’ it required to go, still, there are way too many things and situations that remain unexplained in the film.

The whole of “Shehzada” comes across as a launch pad for Kartik Aaryan in his ‘debut’ mass-action role. One has to admit that Rohit has spared absolutely no efforts in making and mounting “Shehzada” extremely high in terms of style and élan.

As far as the film’s music is concerned, the only songs which remain fresh in your memory are ‘Munda Sona Hoon Main’ and ‘Shehzada Title Track’. Rest of the songs are simply passé!  

For all those who live, breathe and eat The Dhawan’s style of filmmaking, “Shehzada” will surely make you happy and feel proud about your idols. Secondly, the film is a must watch for all the zillion plus fans of Kartik Aaryan. But, for the rest of the gang, watching the original “Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo” a thousand times over will serve you better.

2.5/5 Stars (Two and half stars)