Bala Film Review: No Trivial Matter This

With another oeuvre that carries on his streak of message-driven films, actor Ayushmann Khurrana makes no bones about where his allegiance rests when it comes to selecting scripts. In Bala, which is about a balding young man who is trying to come to terms with his self-identity, Ayushmann Khurrana pairs once again with Bhumi Pednekar. The duo has, in the past, delivered hits like Dum Laga Ke Haisha and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan. In the Bala film review, we see if the movie entertains the audience while, at the same time, delivers its message.

Niren Bhatt, the writer of Bala, gets that fragile balance between humor and sensitivity just about right. That, coupled with director Amar Kaushik’s crafty execution, works well for the movie. The story revolves around Balmukund Shukla, aka Bala, who was the star attraction in his schooldays due to his lustrous hair. However, those days are long gone, and now this Kanpur-lad finds himself amid an identity crisis. He cannot quite come to terms with the fact that he is balding prematurely. Instead, he resorts to all sorts of remedies, some home-based and others not so much, to try and get his hair back.

It is safe to say that nothing works for him. And while his insecurity concerning his looks continues to grow, Bala finds himself enamored of a fairness cream model, Pari, whose Tik Tok videos he regularly watches. Incidentally, Bala works for a company that markets the same fairness cream. He, himself, goes around selling the product to dark-complexioned folks who fall for his manipulative talks. 

Bhumi Pednekar plays Latika, a dark-skinned girl, who was Bala’s schoolmate and has had to face ridicule because of the color of her skin from a young age. Now, she is a feisty lawyer who seems to brush aside the insulting remarks that come her way. In many ways, she and Bala are opposites when it comes to dealing with the verbal abuse that society hurls at them. 

The film does a credible job of balancing the lighter moments of hilarity, in which Saurabh Shukla, playing Bala’s dad, and Javed Jaffrey, portraying his friend, play a significant role, with the more emotional bits. Ayushmann Khurrana is brilliant as an insecure man who is looking for a quick fix to his balding, and one who is never comfortable with himself. Bhumi Pednekar, who is an unusual choice to portray Latika, a dark-complexioned girl, turns in a steady performance. By the end of the movie, Latika looks several shades more charming. That, in a way, is a minor achievement of the director and the makeup artist. 

As for the sweet but flawed damsel Pari for whom looks are everything, Yami Gautam does well too. She brings forth the shallowness of her character effectively. The supporting cast that includes Saurabh Shukla, Javed Jaffrey, Seema Pahwa, among others, propels the film a couple of notches higher. 

While there are several instances where Bala flounders along the way, with many scenes adding precious little to the story, we can overlook these small glitches in the broader context. The movie does admirably in keeping us engaged while maintaining a sufficiently high entertainment quotient sans going overboard and diluting its message. 

While not in the same league as Andhadhun, this Ayushmann Khurrana movie is much better than his previous outing in Dream Girl. While for the moment, he seems to be getting pigeon-holed with a particular type of film, I have no doubt that he would like to break free from those shackles and do a completely different movie to push the boundaries of his acting. If nothing else, it will also be more satisfying for the audience to see him in a film that is not message-driven. How about a slapstick? As for Bala, I will recommend it to not just Ayushmann Khurrana fans but to all filmgoers who do not mind a few chuckles while watching a poignant story. 

Bala film review rates Bala  (3 / 5)

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