Tabu
Geeta Sethi
Overview
Three ordinary air hostesses from Mumbai embark on a journey to pursue their dreams but find themselves caught up in unexpected misfortunes.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
6 min readThree Women, One Heist, and the Weight of Wanting
I’ve seen this trick before—the underpaid worker who stumbles into a crime of opportunity, the heist that starts as a lark and spirals into something darker. It’s a setup that’s launched a thousand capers, from The Sting to Ocean’s 8. But what happens when the workers are women, the stakes are survival, and the crime isn’t just about the money, but the sheer audacity of taking what’s been denied to you? Crew, Rajesh A.
Krishnan’s 2024 Bollywood heist comedy, doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it does something rarer: it lets its three leads—Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Kriti Sanon—carry the weight of their own desires without apology. Whether that’s enough to lift the film off the ground, though, is another question.
The premise is simple, almost deceptively so. Three air hostesses for the fictional Kohinoor Airlines—Jasmine (Tabu), Geeta (Kareena Kapoor Khan), and Divya (Kriti Sanon)—are months behind on their salaries, their dreams of stability (or, in Divya’s case, a lavish wedding) slipping further out of reach with each unpaid paycheck. When a chance encounter with a smuggler (Diljit Dosanjh) offers them a way out, they seize it, only to find themselves entangled in a gold-smuggling operation that’s equal parts farcical and fraught.
The film leans hard into the absurdity of their situation—imagine Bridesmaids meets The Italian Job, but with more sequins and a soundtrack that refuses to stay in its lane.
Krishnan’s direction is slick, almost too slick at times. The film moves at a clip that borders on breakneck, with edits that favor momentum over mood. There’s a moment early on where the three women, dressed in their airline finery, stride through Mumbai’s airport like they own the place—until the camera pulls back to reveal the crumbling infrastructure of Kohinoor Airlines, a detail that grounds the film’s satire in something real.
It’s a small but effective contrast, one that hints at the film’s larger ambitions: to be both a frothy comedy and a sly commentary on the precarity of labor in an industry that chews up and spits out its workers. The problem is, Crew never quite decides which of those two impulses it wants to prioritize. The result is a film that’s funny, sexy, and occasionally sharp, but also uneven, as if it’s constantly second-guessing its own audacity.
The performances, at least, are a saving grace. Tabu, as the world-weary Jasmine, is the film’s anchor, her dry wit and effortless gravitas lending the proceedings a much-needed dose of realism. She’s the kind of actor who can deliver a line like, “We’re not criminals, we’re just… temporarily inconvenienced,” and make it sound like both a joke and a manifesto.
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reports"Crew" (2024): Behind the Scenes of Bollywood’s High-Flying Heist Comedy
The much-anticipated Bollywood heist comedy Crew hit theaters on March 29, 2024, bringing together three of Hindi cinema’s biggest stars—Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Kriti Sanon—in a story of airline employees tangled in a web of lies. Directed by Rajesh A. Krishnan, the film blends humor, drama, and a dash of chaos, but its journey to the screen wasn’t without its own turbulence—at least in the rumor mill.
A Star-Studded Ensemble with Zero Ego Clashes?
One of the biggest talking points ahead of Crew’s release was the potential for off-screen drama among its leading ladies. With Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Kriti Sanon sharing the screen, speculation about ego clashes ran rampant in industry circles. However, director Rajesh A. Krishnan swiftly shut down the rumors, calling them baseless. In an interview with India Today, he stated, "I didn’t see any ego clashes. The three of them were professional, and the energy on set was fantastic." 
The film’s producers—Ekta Kapoor, Rhea Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, and Digvijay Purohit—likely breathed a sigh of relief at Krishnan’s comments. Balancing three A-list actresses in a single frame is no small feat, and the last thing the project needed was tabloid-fueled tension. Still, the director’s denial hasn’t stopped fans from dissecting every on-screen interaction for signs of off-screen friction.
A Heist Comedy with a Female-Driven Twist
Crew centers on three flight attendants whose lives take an unexpected turn when they become entangled in a high-stakes scheme. The film’s premise—a heist comedy set in the airline industry—offers a fresh backdrop for Bollywood, which has traditionally favored bank robberies or corporate espionage for its caper stories. According to Free Press Journal, the narrative keeps the "turbulent flight steady" thanks to the chemistry between its leads, with Tabu, Kareena, and Kriti delivering performances that balance humor and heart .
The supporting cast, including Diljit Dosanjh, Rajesh Sharma, and Kapil Sharma, adds depth to the ensemble, but the spotlight remains firmly on the trio of women at the film’s core. This female-driven approach aligns with a growing trend in Bollywood, where films like Veere Di Wedding and Angry Indian Goddesses have proven that women-led stories can resonate with audiences.
Rajesh Krishnan: From Kannada Roots to Bollywood’s Big League
While Crew marks Rajesh A. Krishnan’s Bollywood directorial debut, the filmmaker is no stranger to the entertainment industry. Hailing from Karnataka, Krishnan has built a career in the Kannada film and music scenes as a playback singer, actor, and television personality . His transition to Hindi cinema with Crew suggests a strategic move to expand his reach, though the film’s success will likely determine whether Bollywood becomes a permanent home.
Krishnan’s background in music and television may have played a role in shaping Crew’s tone—a blend of humor, drama, and high-energy set pieces. However, the director’s lack of prior Bollywood experience also raises questions about how smoothly the production navigated the industry’s unique challenges, from star egos to logistical hurdles.
What’s Next for the Cast?
With Crew now in theaters, its stars are already eyeing their next projects. Kareena Kapoor Khan, who has been selective with her roles in recent years, is rumored to be in talks for a high-profile biopic, though nothing has been confirmed. Kriti Sanon, fresh off the success of Adipurush, is set to star in Housefull 5, while Tabu’s upcoming slate includes The Crew (unrelated to this film) and a potential collaboration with director Vishal Bhardwaj.
As for Rajesh Krishnan, his future in Bollywood hinges on Crew’s box office performance. If the film strikes a chord with audiences, it could pave the way for more Hindi-language projects. For now, though, the director seems focused on celebrating the film’s release—and putting ego clash rumors to rest once and for all.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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