MUMBAI: Crew, directed by Rajesh Krishnan and produced by Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Motion Pictures along with Anil Kapoor Films and Communication Network, stars Tabu, Kareena Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, and Rajesh Sharma, with Diljit Dosanjh, Kapil Sharma, and Saswata Chatterjee in extended cameos.

Heist films in Hindi cinema are nothing new, dating back to the days of Jewel Thief, Chori Mera Kaam, and Shalimar. However, not all have hit the bulls-eye as the aforementioned ones or how modern classics like Aankhen, Special 26, Don 2, Dhoom 2, Johnny Gaddaar did. Our only heist film set on a plane, which comes to mind, is Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga, and coincidentally, it turned out to be brilliant, too. Well, it looks like planes are lucky for Hindi filmmakers keen to pull off mid-air heists as the second one, Crew, starring Tabu, Kareena Kapoor, and Kriti Sanon, is also right on the money (no pun intended).

The plot is straight out of the Vijay Mallya handbook, with an unscrupulous airline owner (Saswata Chatterjee) absconding after withholding his employees' salaries for almost a year, right down to partying merrily in a country with no extradition. Cue our three crew members, who're anything but damsels in distress, to first, use his airlines as a springboard to run a smuggling operation, and then, pull the rug from under his very feet.

Of course, it pays that you have actors of the caliber and beauty of Tabu, Kareena Kapoor, and Kriti Sanon pulling it all off, thus laying credence to even the more ridiculous bits. Nidhi Mehra and Mehul Suri's script oscillates between bizarre and brilliance, but Director Rajesh Krishnan always holds down the fort to ensure that the rough edges don't jarringly jut out between the ingenious portions.

It also adds dividends when your narrative is laced with dollops of wit, hilarity, and a devil-may-care sheen. Swift editing by Manan Sagar and sleek camerawork by Anuj Rakesh Dhawan don't hurt either as doesn't a couple of remixes, ranking among the better ones, heard in recent times. Rajesh Sharma is a package of understated panache, playing his supporting part to the T. The only drawbacks are Kapil Sharma, Diljit Dosanjh, and Saswata Chatterjee being wasted in their cameos, and a slightly hurried climax.

Keeping those slightly uneven bits aside, Crew is a thoroughly enjoyable heist film, which soars high in the clouds with copious wit, smarts, charm, humor, and sex appeal.

4/5 stars