Kajol's Helicopter Eela, which opened in theaters on Friday had a slow start and managed to collect merely Rs 75 lakh on its opening day, reports Box Office India. Helicopter Eela clashed with Pushpdeep Bharwaj's Jalebi, Tummbad and Fryday at the box office. Helicopter Eela's low-paced performance at the box office could be attributed to tough competition from Sreeram Raghavan's murder mystery AndhaDhun, starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Radhika Apte. "There were multiple releases this week and it has turned out to be a disaster with all the films be it Fryday, Helicpter Eela, Jalebi and Tummbad failing to register at the box office. Helicopter Eela was the best of the lot but the collection was just 75 lakhs," stated a Box Office India report.
Helicopter Eela's weak performance does not come as much of a surprise to us as the film opened to poor reviews. In his review for NDTV, film critic Saibal Chatterjee stated that the film is a "massive letdown." He gave the film one-and-a-half stars out of five and wrote: "The problem with Helicopter Eela is that it allows the drama to trump its comic potential. A little more wit and humour and a little less earnestness might have given the film the wings it wants. After a disappointingly predictable and patchy two hours, the climax, too, does little to help the audience forget the trudge up until this point."
Directed by Pradeep Sarkar and co-produced by Kajol's actor-husband Ajay Devgn, Helicopter Eela, showcases the story of a single mother, who is over-protective about her son Vivaan (played by 19-year-old award-winning actor Riddhi Sen) and wishes to regulate every move of his life. The film also stars Neha Dhupia.
