A movie starring Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Kriti Sanon is no doubt a filmmaker’s delight, a fact producers Rhea Kapoor and Ektaa R Kapoor can attest to. But while speaking to the three actors for Vogue India’s cover story, Sadaf Shaikh discovers a common cause that invigorates them: challenging the status quo.

About the project, Rhea Kapoor shares, “I’m so excited to finally have everyone together in the same frame. And I’m in shock, obviously, that all of this has finally come to fruition. Bebo has been my friend and lucky charm since Ektaa and I worked with her on Veere Di Wedding (2018), but this is the first time I’ll be working with Tabu and Kriti.”

Tabu, who has always taken on unconventional roles, spoke about what it is like to now do an out-and-out entertainer with two other female leads. “Every film has its own world and it’s nice to inhabit different kinds of worlds. I’ve always had a mixed bag of films in my career and it feels great to be doing a home production with such talented co-stars. Kareena, I’ve worked with your sister in so many movies. I remember Babita used to call us “the hit pair of cinema” so you feel familiar to me by extension. Kriti is so beautiful and hard-working, and I’m sure it’s going to be fun. You know how you get into a project knowing what you want from it? I’m certain I’ll derive a lot of happiness and joy from working on this film.”

Kareena opens up about how it feels to be back in the mix and if it feels different. “I think I’ve just been waiting for something like this to come together with the right people. Rhea, I always knew that when you did something again, it would be nothing short of amazing. I remember when we discussed the plot and you told me you were planning to rope in Tabu and Kriti...I just thought about how perfect it would be if you could actually manage to sign them on. You and I created magic together in Veere, but it’s going to be so wonderful to make this movie with two such stellar female actors. I’ve been a big fan of Tabu, and like she was saying earlier, Lolo did mention that it’s an unrivalled honour for me to be sharing screen space with a veteran like her. Kriti is also doing extremely well for herself and has really made an impression among the current crop of actors in Bollywood. I just think all of us are going to go out there and make a fabulous movie.”

Kriti on sharing the frame with not one but two powerhouses. “I’m over the moon. I feel like we always get to work with the men we want to, but never with the women we look up to. It’s so rare to be cast alongside women you admire in an industry where male-dominated films rule the box office. I think that’s also one of the reasons why I don’t have too many female actors who are friends. When you told me about this project even before you revealed the rest of the cast I remember how keen I was to be a part of it solely because it would have two other women in leading roles. When I got to know who the other two actors would be, I was even more thrilled because I’ve been a fan of both Tabu and Kareena. I’ve bumped into Tabu at various events, parties and award functions, and she has always been so warm. Bebo is simply iconic. Who doesn’t want to work with her?”

Regarding The Crew, Rhea mentioned, “It took me three years to get this film funded, and once Ektaa came on as producer and we signed on you three (Tabu, Kareena, Kriti), it took 60 seconds to get everything else finalised. So it’s really thrilling to see everything finally falling into place.”

On a final note, Kareena said, “I can’t wait to start shooting.”

The Crew will go on floors in February 2023 and we’re confident the film is going to be one for the books.

Read the full story HERE. On stands soon!