‘Helmet’: Protection to be taken in a lighter vein

Aparshakti plays an aspiring musician with a unique issue in this film

Set in Kanpur, this film, packaged as an entertainer, hopes to change the mindset of the culturally and morally stifled population of this country, especially on matters such as using methods of birth control.

Condom is a word used in hushed tones, but this film blatantly propagates its usage. The story — a hurriedly drafted, deceptive script with daft humour is used for the shadowy and complex propagation of the central thought, should be taken in a lighter vein.

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Lucky (Aparshakti Khurana), an unwanted child who grew up in an orphanage, is a singer in a brass band and is in love with Rupali (Pranutan Bahl), a rich man’s daughter.

In order to start his band, and get married to Rupali, Lucky and his friends Sultan (Abhishek Banerjee) and Minus (Ashish Verma) hatch a plan to rob an e-commerce company truck carrying mobile phones.

They succeed, but instead of mobile phones, the stolen goods turn out to be condoms. How the trio dispose of the stolen ware and are later glorified by an NGO conducting research for the National AIDS Awareness Programme, forms the narrative.

With his boy-next-door features, Aparshakti as Lucky is in top form, delivering the full range of his talent. He is natural and believable, but lacking charisma.

Pranutan Bahl, as the bold, modern, small-town girl Rupali, along with Ashish Verma, as the hard-of-hearing, dim-witted Minus, and Abhishek Banerjee as the chicken breeder Sultan appear forced and over-the-top.

Ashish Vidyarthi, as Rupali’s father Jogi, has an insignificant role and is short-changed by the script. Similarly, Dino Morea is wasted in a passing scene.

The sound and background score help in creating the right ambience for the film and visually the film captures the essence of a small town with precision.

Film: Helmet
Director: Satram Ramani
Cast: Aparshakti Khurana, Pranutan Bahl and Abhishek Banerjee