‘Crew’, which hit screens on March 29, has emerged as a commercial success. The film follows three flight attendants who get trapped in an unexpected situation of never-ending struggle. The movie features Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Kriti Sanon in the lead along with Diljit Dosanjh and Kapil Sharma.
The three leading actresses have made their mark in Indian cinema. Tabu began her acting career as a teenager in Dev Anand’s ‘Hum Naujawan’ in 1985. However, she played her first leading role in the Telugu film ‘Coolie No.1’ (1991) for which she received the ‘Filmfare award for Best Female Debut.’ Kareena Kapoor Khan began her career with ‘Refugee’ (2000). Meanwhile, Kriti made her Bollywood debut with ‘Heropanti’ in 2014.
Interestingly, there are some striking similarities between the three ladies in terms of their selection of roles and career graphs.
No stranger to Female-Centric Roles
Tabu impressed critics with ‘Chandni Bar’ where she played the role of a bar dancer in Mumbai’s red-light district. The film explored the themes of poverty, exploitation and violence.
Similarly, Kareena’s role as a sex worker in ‘Chameli’ (2003) elevated her career. She later picked many bold characters such as Rosi’ in ‘Talaash; The Answer Lies Within’ and ‘Mahi Arora in ‘Heroine’.
Likewise, Kriti raised the bar with her performance in ‘Mimi’ where she played the role of a surrogate mother. The film was widely acclaimed and helped her win the Filmfare Award for Best Actress and the National Film Award for Best Actress.
Conveying a message through their work
Some of the films chosen by these ladies were ahead of their time. One such film that Tabu did was ‘Aamdani Athanni Kharcha Rupaiya’. This was long before female-centric films became a thing in modern Indian cinema. She played Meena, a helpless housewife-turned-independent woman who chooses to stand tall in the face of domestic violence. She conveyed this message well on the big screen.
On the other hand, Bebo in ‘Jab We Met’ played the evergreen character of Geet, a charming and bubbly girl who was also fiercely independent. The film is one of the most emotionally rich romantic comedies of Indian cinema. Kriti’s ‘Dilwale’, apart from being a box office hit was also a bold choice. For Kriti, ‘Teri Baton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya’ featured her as Sifra, a robot that again is a difficult character to pull off. Kriti, to her credit, did justice to it and experimented within the commercial space
Breaking Taboos
Tabu in ‘Chandini Bar’, Kareena’s role in ‘Chameli’ and Kriti’s performance in ‘Mimi’ are fine examples of how these actresses have picked stories that challenge societal norms. The clean portrayals of a bar dancer, sex worker, and surrogate mother tried to pave the way for progressive thinking.
Tabu, Kareena and Kriti have defined the three generations of Indian cinema. They have worked devotionally and shined bright. Their roles are a throwback to the strong female characters that Indian cinema has witnessed in the past. Their choice of characters and stories has raised the bar time and again. Not only have the ladies embraced the tricky roles but also have been a part of many commercial successes such as Kareena Kapoor in ‘Veerey Di Wedding’ and Kriti in ‘Dilwale’, which falls among the highest-grossing Indian films.
‘Crew’ is another fine addition to their filmography and should help them scale greater heights. The film is currently playing in theatres.