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!

Madgaon Express Movie Review: Kunal Khemu, Please Direct More Films!

A movie that I have been looking forward to being the Kunal Khemu directed film “Madgaon Express” starring a phenomenal cast in the form of Divyenndu, Pratik Gandhi, Avinash Tiwary, Nora Fatehi, Upendra Limaye and Chhaya Kadam. If you want to label a cast of underrated actors who rarely get the masses attention, well, this ensemble cast represents precisely that. The film focusses on three childhood best friends – Dodo (Divyenndu), Pinku (Pratik Gandhi) & Ayush (Avinash Tiwary). Years have passed and lives have changed but one thing hasn’t: their age-old dream of doing a Goa trip. They reunite years later and decide to take a trip to Goa, but what follows is a sequence of very bad decisions taken by three very luckless boys and unintentionally hilarious situations that you wouldn’t want to be a part of. The film takes us on a ride with these naive characters stuck in some of the most nonsensical circumstances which include police, gangsters and drugs. Getting right into various aspects of the film so that you guys can ultimately decide whether this comedic thriller is worth it or not?

Kunal Khemu’s story is routine, but it is his screenplay which makes it interesting and funny. The comedy quotient is so high that even the routine story gets a boost. Added to this is the colorful language used by the characters, which adds to the comedy. Kunal Khemu enthuses for his audiences’ oodles of laughter which keeps you rolling till the end. It is for the massively satiating entertainment they largely provide, are few hitches easily ignorable to naked eyesight. Strictly a multiplex oriented, youth inviting film, the older generation and the more orthodox audience might not enjoy the film. For the younger brigade, it is a true-to-its-word ‘comic caper’.

Divyenndu is a show stealer. With his character buying for itself all the juvenile, sleazy humor, it is he who gives you your money’s worth here!

Pratik Gandhi is splendid. His sense of timing is so brilliant that it’s a delight to watch him on the screen.

Avinash Tiwary does his role calculatedly, falling slightly short of Divyenndu and Pratik’s energy and vigor. Mostly adequate, he stays true to his stint and focuses his vision entirely on it alone.

Nora Fatehi was sidelined for the good in the film. Though extremely hot, her screen space was unduly cut short for the larger good of the story.

Upendra Limaye as usual, gets into the skin of the character and leaves an indelible mark in the mind of the viewer. 

Chhaya Kadam does a fine job and enacts the role of Kanchan Kombdi with aplomb.

Kunal Khemu’s direction is focused and crisp. His handling of the comic scenes does justice to the script. As a comedic thriller Kunal Khemu squeeze out an uproarious gag. His dialogues are trademark Bollywood slapstick fun, but does it so refreshingly and wittily, that it scores heavy points for the film.

Songs could have been incorporated better however their picturizations are good. Sameer Uddin’s background music score is pretty effective. Aejaz Gujab & Vikram Dahiya’s action scenes are in keeping with the comic mood of the film. Adil Afsar’s cinematography is superb. Prachi Deshpande’s art direction is lovely. Anand Subaya & Sanjay Ingle’s editing is super-sharp.

On the whole, “Madgaon Express” is a laugh riot and is a must one time watch. It is an unabashedly crazy film with Divyenndu and Pratik Gandhi delivering super performances. Relegated into the premise, the film is an exuberantly hilarious laughter riot that shouldn’t be missed. Honestly, I haven’t laughed this much in a film since Lootcase. Take a break from all the morose things in life and catch this one, believe me there can’t be any regrets! I am going with a 3.5/5.