Helicopter does not fly
Film: Eela Helicopter
Director: Pradeep Sarkar
Writer: Mitesh Shah, Anand Gandhi
Cast: Kajol, Riddhi Sen, Neha Dhupia
Pradip Sarkar directed Eela Helicopter tells the story of a single mother/ Kajol whose life revolves around her son Vivan/ Ridhi Sen.
She is obsessive to an extent that she senses him and always opens the house door before he can ring the doorbell.
Vivan loves his mother but feels stifled in her over concern and wants to run away only so that she can think of a life for herself.
The first half of the film elaborates and underlines a bit unconvincingly Eela’s over bearing invasion in her son’s life where she sniffs around in his bedroom, checks his phone messages and even eve drops on his conversations with friends.
The second half, where Eela decides to join her son’s college in order to complete her education, is further disappointing because it is irritatingly frivolous without any insights into the characters or their situations.
Director Ashwini Iyer had addressed the same subject with alarming sensitivity in Neil Battey Sannata a few years ago.
Unfortunately, nothing is right about Eela Helicopter – not the content, pace or the performances and the biggest defaulter is the careless screenplay devoid of any detailing, emotion or magical moment.
The title of the film is Eela Helicopter but there is no reference to a helicopter anywhere in the film. Also, it is a bit confusing whether this is a story about marriage or about motherhood because both are inadequately projected without complexities, layers or conviction.
The dramatic surprise post interval which should have been the turning point of the film is a disaster conveniently missed out by the watchman, the neighbor and the mother-in-law.
As audience, we wait for something to unfold via the father’s diary to his son but the son never reads the diary or probably the writer just forgot about it.
Eela lives in an apartment for over a decade but the set never resembles a home. She is into tiffin service but her kitchen never reflects her work. There is a complete lack of effort and attention to define a graph in terms of costume/ hair and body language from the flashback to the present. There’s more, Eela pursues a career in singing but we never see her doing riaaz or practicing at home alone or under the supervision of a teacher.
The climax is so illogical that it is hilarious. The principal of the college protests when the organizers of the show change rule overnight. In the following scene, his student/ Vivan breaks protocol and hops on to the stage unscheduled to complete a family drama.
That’s not all, Eela who is backstage joins him from the audience singing loud and clear without a microphone and after her performance becomes a singing star!
Eela Helicopter is devoid of logic, emotion, and entertainment.
It is sad that the director who gave us Parineeta is either overconfident or underprepared. Sad that Kajol is not in sync with the character and does not make a place in our heart.
I rate Eeela Helicopter with 2 stars.
Bhawana Somaaya