Bala is a comedy film directed by Amar Kaushik who has previously directed Stree (2018) and produced by Dinesh Vijan. The film focuses on the social topic of Premature Balding and the lack of confidence and the societal pressure that comes with it.
The film sets in Kanpur, where it revolves around Balmukund “Bala” Shukla (Ayushmann Khurrana), a bachelor in his late twenties struggling with his premature baldness. Baldness comes with social awkwardness and rejections, which keep piercing Bala from inside. One day, looking at Balas’s situation, Hari Shukla (Saurabh Shukla) – Bala’s father, presents him with a wig and explains that his condition is external and need not have anything to do with his accomplishments. With a wig on his head, Bala resumes his work with new energy and confidence. Soon, he meets a Pari (Yami Gautam), a pretty model, and they fall for each other. They decide to get married. Do they get married or not? What happens when Pari gets to know about Bala’s condition? The rest of the film follows with answers to these questions and his journey to acceptance.
Just a week before the release of this film, the film named Ujda Chaman (2019) on the same topic released. Not going into the controversy surrounding it, but the way Bala handled the topic, it is more grounded and real. Ayushmann as the lead character shines all the time, we can clearly feel his awkwardness through his performance. Along with the lead character, the supporting cast (Saurabh Shukla, Bhumi Pednekar, Javed Jaffrey, Seema Bhargava, Abhishek Banerjee) has also done a brilliant job. The comedy scenes land perfectly each and every time. Along with baldness, the film also talks on one’s skin complexion, and tries to explore the bad part of the society, where everybody is judged by their looks and not by their inner human characteristics. The film is well-executed, except in some places, the film feels dragged, especially towards the end.
Verdict : The film is worth to watch. But if the makers could have eliminated the dragging part, then it would have become a solid film.
Rating : 3.6/5
Check the trailer here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veJ6ejMjzgE
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