Cast: Kajol, Riddhi Sen, Neha Dhupia

Director: Pradeep Sarkar

Rating: *1/2

As Helicopter Eela is a Pradeep Sakar film who has a proven track record of some extraordinary stories and it also has Kajol and Riddhi Sen, so the expectations were really high, but all these expectations fell flat as the Helicopter Eela failed to take a flight.

It is a story of Eela Raiturkar (Kajol), a single, concerned mother who despite being a talented singer, dedicates or focuses her life in nurturing her son, Vivan (Riddhi Sen). This is the story of thousands of mothers. But here the story focuses on how Vivan pushes his mother to have a life and identity of her own.

Narrated in a non-linear manner, the screenplay loses track of the timelines right at the beginning and runs into a loop of its own making. Also, with not much drama happening, the narrative meanders with the banter between the mother and the son, thereby indicating that the film is lazily crafted. The few dramatic scenes, well handled, seem theatrically staged and the climax appears forced.

Kajol breathes life into the character, but unfortunately, her over-the-top acting style is her undoing. She is herself playing the vivacious Eela Raiturkar and never is there a moment you feel that she is playing the mother of a teenage son.

Riddhi Sen as her son Vivan is natural and sincere in his portrayal and so is Tota Roy Choudhury as her husband Arun. Kamini Khanna as Neha's mother-in-law who often breaks into Punjabi is charming but restricted by the script. Neha Dhupia as the professor in charge of the cultural activities and Zakir Hussain as the Principal of the college are stereotyped characters who have their moments of onscreen glory. But overall, the chemistry between the cast is palpable.

The direction of Pradeep Sarkar can never be questioned but only good direction cannot save a sinking ship or should I say crashing "Helicopter".

Aesthetically good but overall, Helicopter Eela's bumpy take off will leave you with a bad experience.