helicopter eela

  • 20 Oct - 26 Oct, 2018
  • Omair Alavi
  • Reviews

Kajol is back once again and she couldn’t have chosen a better film than Pradeep Sarkar’s Helicopter Eela to show that she is the best! The film features her in the title role as a 'helicopter' mother (controlling, dominating one) who returns to college after 22 years and shares the same classroom as his son who is uncomfortable as hell, considering it was his idea in the first place. How she manages to do at academics isn’t what the film is about; it’s about a journey of self-discovery and tells you about living your life to the fullest no matter what others say.


Eela Raiturkar (Kajol) was an upcoming singing star in the 90s before marriage, kid and an unsupportive husband left her playing a father and a mother to Vivaan (Riddhi Sen). When her teenaged son suggests that she should complete her studies and get busy in other stuff than managing his life, she decides to enroll in his college and play mother 24X7. What happens next is something that will make your heart melt and feel for the mother who just wants the best for her son without realising that her constant presence is making life hell for him.

Kajol is the star of the film and plays both her younger self as well as the older one; digitally her age has been reduced when she was playing the pop sensation of the 90s but then she looked the same back then, didn’t she? Her slaps to her son, her caring attitude and her ability to switch from mother to colleague and back to mother is something only Pradeep Sarkar would have been able to extract. Riddhi Sen is impressive as the teenaged son who feels embarrassed due to her mother’s actions; it would have been better had some big name actor been cast as the father, as no one really knows Tota Roy Chowdhury that well.

The rest of the cast plays along including senior members like Zakir Hussain and Neha Dhupia while in the 90s, you get to meet iconic singers led by Baba Sehgal and Alisha Chinoy at the time of MTV India launch. The writers may have missed the opportunity to turn some good scenes into great but when you have FryDay and Jalebi playing as rivals, good is the next best thing. The music is the film’s highlight with the song Yaadon Ki Almaari being the frontrunner besides others, with one being written down by our very own Asma Nabeel, the writer behind Khaani. Kajol’s comeback, her refreshing move to motherly roles than heroine roles is what makes this film a must-watch; it will make you feel young again, and energise you to do things that you didn’t know you could do. •

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