Breaking Stereotypes: Crew - A Tale of Struggle and Resilience in the Indian Middle-Class Workplace

Whether it's ageism or female-led heist films, Tabbu, Kareena Kapoor, and Kriti Senan's team have broken all prejudices. The fact that Crew is an extremely honest movie is the most important factor. Why, one may wonder? What genuine choices are available to you when you find yourself in a tight spot, have no money in the bank, debts to pay back, children's school expenses to cover, and your Provident Fund (PF) becomes stalled because owners and management are enjoying themselves? I'm sure a lot of individuals have seen similar circumstances where wealthy CEOs run out of money before they can pay their staff.

 

In the movie Crew, Vijay Waliya (Saswata Chatterjee), the meticulous owner of Kohinoor Airlines, is highly indebted while having all the lavish money for his lifestyle. Geeta (Tabbu), Jasmine (Kareena Kapoor Khan), and Divya (Kriti Senan) work for Kohinoor Airlines. However, he has no money to pay his staff. When companies withhold salary for months on end and you have obligations that many others find incomprehensible, it can be a difficult scenario. How do you handle this financial situation and what do you do when you're under absolute pressure? One may argue that there are numerous questions. However, I think that going through such trying times in life helps you to better grasp it.

You will all see after seeing the movie that King of Good Times's leadership and that of another failed airline owner are somewhat similar. Crew tells the real story of low-paid, middle-class workers who battle daily to make ends meet while their bosses in suits and boots never seem to change.

Even though you consider quitting your job on a daily basis, you still can't because a lot of things depend on it, including your retirement savings. Your managers like spending your money while you put up a lot of effort at work and at home. For them, nothing alters. They actually benefit since they are relieved of the need to pay their staff. In reality, they lavish lavish parties, daughters' weddings, fashionable clothing, and much more with the money that belongs to their employees. And at the top, there are always one or two or three money-hungry con artists.

Despite making up the majority, very few people in our society are able to comprehend the struggles faced by middle-class individuals. Most importantly, having attractive women from all age groups play major roles and capture the essence of their respective ages adds even more energy to the film's image. Crew is a masterfully constructed movie with engaging language. 

Kareena Kapoor Khan, Tabbu, and Kriti Senan, the three lead actresses, have all performed brilliantly. What makes Crew enjoyable to watch is the on-screen presence of all three of the main female characters. However, Kareena Kapoor Khan's performance is noteworthy. Her humorous emotions will win you over with her engaging dialogue delivery. She does a really stylish job of embodying her character's villainy.

Particularly in the scene where she's applying foundation and Geeta (Tabbu) informs her, "Madam foundation hai, time machine nahi," Kareena is a fantastic fit for the part. It's funny the way she mimics Tabbu's Geeta. In essence, Geeta (Tabbu) is saying that you can't keep anything from the counselor, particularly the wrinkles and age spots. It is inevitable that ageing will show on your face, regardless of how much cosmetics you wear.

Tabbu does her task with effortless style as usual. Most importantly, she gracefully conveys her age. With each movie, Kriti Senan's performance becomes better. Although they have a small part in Crew, Diljit Dosanjh and Kapil Sharma have a big impact.

Overall, Crew is a fun and captivating movie that portrays the difficult realities of being middle class in India—that is, having to pretend everything is alright while everything around you is collapsing. It is an art indeed to convey serious thoughts in a lighthearted manner.