After Ujda Chaman last week, the film on the same topic of balding ‘Bala’ starring Ayushmann Khurrana released today. The topic might be the same but the picturization of the film is what gets you and it is completely different than what you can imagine.
Touching the areas of “Self Love”, Bala makes you realize how important it is to love your own self more than anyone else. The story revolves around Balmukund Shukla aka Bala (Ayushmann Khurrana) tries all sorts of hacks to grow back his silky smooth hair but to no avail. Finally, he finds a fix but will that be a cure for permanent happiness is what makes us question.
Bala’s childhood sweetheart has also left him and he is demoted at his job as the salesman for a women’s fairness cream. But, Bala is not a sobering mess. Instead, he takes the challenge head-on (no pun intended). Bala doubles up as a stand-up comedian where he imitates Bollywood stars and is actively seeking various remedies for his hair loss.
The first half of the film is full of situational comedy that brings ample opportunities to be high and fun-filled with a lot of one-liners. Ayushmann is the hero of the film and owns every scene like a boss. He gets the Kanpur accent bang on with accurate body language and other nuances. You can empathize with him but he never comes across as a pitiful character.
When it comes to the actresses, Bhumi Pednekar is impactful as the strong-headed lawyer Latika, who has always faced bias due to her dark skin. However, her make-up doesn’t look very convincing. Yami Gautam (as Pari Mishra) looks beautiful and is quite impressive as Kanpur ki superstar, who is full of herself.
Actors Saurabh Shukla, Abhishek Banerjee, Seema Pahwa, and Javed Jaffrey lend good support and often bring in the laughs. The film’s music plays mostly in the background and blends well with the narrative.
Director Amar Kaushik tries to drive home the message about how our society mocks those who are different. Overall, Bala comes out with an impactful message. The movie is bald but beautiful is beautiful even with its flaws, and never fails to entertain.
Check out the trailer:
Bala: Bald is gold for Ayushmann (IANS Review; Rating: ***1/2)
