Rating:
2.5/5
Star
Cast:
Kajol,
Riddhi
Sen,
Amitabh
Bachchan,
Neha
Dhupia,
Tota
Roy
Chowdhury
Director:
Pradeep
Sarkar
Helicopter
Eela
Movie
Review
:
Kajol
|
Neha
Dhupia|
Ajay
Devgan
|
FilmiBeat
There's
a
scene
where
a
teary-eyed
Eela
(Kajol)
confesses
to
her
son
Vivaan
her
difficulty
to
make
new
friends
at
this
age
just
like
how
he
felt
during
his
childhood
days.
It
simply
brings
a
lump
in
your
throat.
Sadly,
Helicopter
Eela
tugs
your
heartstrings
like
this
in
just
a
couple
of
scenes.
This
Pradeep
Sarkar
directorial
revolves
around
a
single
parent
Eela
(Kajol)
who
keeps
shadowing
her
teenage
son
Vivaan
(Riddhi
Sen)
and
has
her
life
revolving
only
around
him.
While
Vivaan
struggles
to
find
his
space,
his
mommy
dearest
hovers
around
him
like
a
crazy
stalker
with
a
dabba
in
her
hand.
He's
pissed
off
but,
Eela
doesn't
back
off.
Helicopter
Eela
welcomes
you
to
the
world
of
Eela
Raiturkar
with
Sunita
Rao's
scintallating
'Pari
Hoon
Main' playing
on
radio
(a
hi-fi
to
all
90s
kids!).
We
slowly
learn
that
Eela
was
a
budding
singer
in
the
90s.
Be
prepared
for
plenty
of
pop
culture
and
song
references
here!
In
present
times,
she
follows
him
around
not
just
in
the
virtual
world
but,
ends
up
right
as
a
fellow
student
in
his
college.
Normally,
parents
in
Bollywood
are
either
portrayed
as
'an
institution
of
sacrifice'
or
as
villains.
More
often,
they
end
up
peripheral
to
the
plot.
That's
where
Helicopter
Eela
comes
as
a
refreshing
change.
The
first
half
of
the
film
mainly
revolves
around
Eela's
musical
ambitions
and
her
love-story
with
Arun
(Tota
Roy
Choudhary)'s
love-story.
Post
interval,
the
film
picks
up
pace
and
we
get
some
heart-touching
moments
between
the
mother-son.
The
conflict
between
them
does
make
you
reach
out
for
the
tissue
box.
On
the
flip
side,
the
track
revolving
around
the
abrupt
exit
of
Eela's
husband
from
their
lives
comes
with
a
ridiculous
explanation.
Also,
there
are
times
when
melodrama
seeps
in
and
makes
the
narrative
sugar-coated.
'Helicopter
Eela
is
based
on
a
Gujarati
play
named
'Beta,
Kaagdo'.
Anand
Gandhi
and
Mitesh
Shah's
writing
lacks
a
graph.
While
the
film
has
an
exciting
premise
about
how
women
shouldn't
bury
their
self-identity
post
marriage
and
motherhood,
Pradeep
Sarkar's
wobbly
execution
falls
short
of
making
Helicopter
Eela
an
extraordinary
watch
on
the
big
screen.
Coming
to
the
performances,
Kajol
is
the
backbone
of
the
film
and
gosh,
the
actress
seems
to
be
aging
in
reverse!
She
lends
her
own
charm
to
Eela
and
lights
up
the
screen
with
her
infectious
energy.
Riddhi
Sen
too
showcases
his
acting
prowess
effortlessly
on
celloid.
Their
fun
banter
keeps
you
engrossed.
Neha
Dhupia
plays
her
part
well.
Tota
Roy
Choudhary
suffers
from
a
farcical-written
character.
Sirsha
Ray's
cinematography
has
nothing
new
to
offer.
Dharmendra
Sharma's
editing
looks
abrupt
at
places.
Barring
'Mumma
Ki
Parchai'
and
'Yaadon
Ki
Almari',
none
of
the
tracks
stay
with
you
for
long.
Pradeep
Sarkar
fails
to
make
a
heart-warming
watch
out
of
Helicopter
Eela
in
spite
of
some
good
collective
performances.
I
am
going
with
2.5
stars
for
this
one.