‘Helicopter Eela’ Movie Review: Kajol’s film revolving around the bond of mother and son speaks to our time 

‘Helicopter Eela’ is a bitter-sweet tale circling around the relationship of a single mother essayed by Kajol and her son Vivaan portrayed by Riddhi Sen on-screen. Both the actors play their characters seamlessly on the screen under Pradeep Sarkar’s direction. A through and through Kajol film sees the actress back to her form delivering an impeccable performance as Eela. Be it her dialogue delivery or body language, she does not leave any stone unturned to remind you of your own mother essaying the complex character of Eela. 

Setting The Scene 

The film opens with Kajol crooning to popular 90s music in the background preparing herself for the first day of college. While many would think of it as any regular scene from the archives of cinema, here’s the catch - she’s getting ready to join her son’s college in the hopes of spending quality time with him which eventually fills the gap of loneliness she suffers as a single mother. However, Eela doesn’t understand that in this process she suffocates her son who wants only the best for his mother. 

READ I ‘AndhaDhun’ Movie Review: Sriram Raghavan’s Twisted Tale Of Karma Is A Masterpiece The Nation Should Know 

Plot 

‘Helicopter Eela’ is the story of Eela, who wanted to be a playback singer and did hit the jackpot with her lyricist boyfriend turned husband Arun but one failure made her lose all hopes. She then focuses on her personal life taking the leap of faith in marriage and having a baby thereafter. This shifts her attention from her ambition to making a family. While both Arun and Eela can be seen making it work, Arun’s abrupt departure in the fear of the unknown leaves Eela heartbroken. She then diverts her entire attention to making the future of her son leaving viable career options in the process. The heart-wreching story of Eela and Vivaan coming to terms with growth and generation gap makes the backbone of the storyline. 

Verdict 

Holding a mirror to the society, director Pradeep Sarkar does a fantastic job at making this film as realistic as possible with hues of fiction here and there. Cameos like Amitabh Bachchan, Mahesh Bhatt and Neha Dhupia keeps viewers engaged and up to the pulse of the film. Kajol has shone throughout the film from her ‘Baazigar’ look to that of playing Eela on the screen. Audience would want to see more of this gem of an actress in the coming future. 

Cast

• Kajol 
• Riddhi Sen 
• Tata Roy Chowdhury
• Neha Dhupia  

What works:

The very complexity of a mother-son relationship post their father’s abrupt departure works wonders for the film. 

What doesn’t:

Eela’s backstory is a bit of a drag in the first half. 

Rating: 3/5