Actress Chaitali Kohli talks about working in the film Crew

Mumbai: The film Crew—starring Kareena Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, and Tabu—completes two years since its release. We asked actress Chaitali Kohli, who was part of the film, about her experiences and memories.
She says, “I remember two things. The first one is when I went for the first schedule, and it was my first day on set. I had to wear boots, and they were very heavy, worn-out leather boots. I was unable to walk, and they were too big for me. I had to get used to them, walk around so that it didn’t seem like I was wearing them for the first time. I went up to my costume designer and told her to do something—I just couldn’t walk in those shoes. She told me these boots belonged to actor Anil Kapoor. Apparently, our producer Rhea Kapoor wanted an authentic look, so she got these worn-out shoes for me. She asked me if I wanted to change. I was like, no. Now I definitely want to run, walk, and act in these.” Wearing legendary Anil Kapoor’s boots was definitely a memorable incident.
She adds, “The second incident was when I got a call at 3 a.m. I was told that I had to leave for a shoot in Abu Dhabi on a 9 a.m. flight! There was anxiety, last-minute packing, and rushing to the airport. We got permissions at the last minute, so everyone—literally everyone from crew to cast—was running at the airport to catch the flight.”

Chaitali feels she is blessed to be part of this film. “Post Crew, a lot of people would come up to me and ask if I was in the film. A similar incident happened recently when I was in Goa. A lady serving us food popped this question, and I was zapped. She told me Crew is her go-to film and that she watches it whenever she wants to unwind. She has seen me so much that she could easily recognise me. I think it was also a film we could all relate to. This film teaches that we could all do with a little break from life.”
Every project leaves an impact on an actor. So how did being a part of Crew influence her personally or professionally? Chaitali says, “Personally, I had the best experience working on it. It was deeply gratifying to see everyone work so hard just for your scene. We were running on tight schedules as we were shooting in a real airport. We had to do a lot in one day. Everyone was working so hard to get every shot right so that we wouldn’t have to reshoot or take another one. Professionally, I have realised one thing—no character is small. Whatever you do, just do it. It can be anything. You just never know which character will bring you closer to your next dream role.”