MOVIE REVIEW: Bala
Bala
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Yami Gautam,
Bhumi Pednekar
Director: Amar Kaushik
Music Director: Sachin-Jigar
A winning screenplay, replete with moments that are both authentic and entertaining, and good performances from each of the cast, led by Ayushmann Khurrana, make Bala a consistently enjoyable watch, some drawbacks notwithstanding.
Kanpur resident Balmukund Shukla aka Bala (Ayushmann Khurrana) is a 25-year-old struggling with premature balding. With his lustrous locks fast giving way to a receding hairline, a desperate Bala tries every remedy, even a paste of cow dung and bull semen! Alas, nothing works and he has to fall back on a hair patch. The director uses this scenario to elicit big laughs from the audience, but even as you laugh, you cannot but feel for the hapless young man.
The two leading women here are thankfully shown as having a mind of their own, but the decision to cast Bhumi Pednekar, painted many shades darker, as Bala’s dark-skinned childhood friend Latika, discredits the film’s very message. Why didn’t they just take a dark-skinned actress for the role?
While Ayushmann and Bhumi expectedly pitch in with fine performances, Yami Gautam is a revelation. Playing a looks-obsessed Tik Tok star Pari who can’t resign herself to Bala’s ‘shortcoming,’ the actress is a joy to watch on screen. The supporting ensemble cast, including Seema Pahwa, Saurabh Shukla, Abhishek Banerjee, and Javed Jaffrey, also contribute greatly to the film’s overall charm.
TOP 10 SONGS
1. Shaitan ka Saala (Housefull 4)
2. Jai Jai Shiv Shankar (War)
3. Tum hi Aana (Marjaavan)
4. Naah Goriye (Bala)
5. Pal Pal (Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas)
6. Psycho Saiyaan (Saaho)
7. Dil Ka Telephone (Dream Girl)
8. O Saki Saki (Batla House)
9. Bekhayali (Kabir Singh)
10. Koka (Khandaani Shafakhana)
(Left) Housefull 4.
TOP 10 MOVIES
1. Housefull 4
2. Bala
3. War
4. Dream Girl
5. Chhichhore
6. Mission Mangal
7. Saaho
8. Super 30
9. Batla House
10. The Sky Is Pink
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