(Starring AyushmannKhurrana, Bhumi Pednekar, Yami Gautam, Saurabh Sukhla, Javed Jaffrey, Abhisekh Banerjee, Seema Pahwa, Directed by : Amar Kaushik)
Bala tells the story of Balmukund Shukla who is suffering from premature balding who truies all sort of remedies and hacks to grow back his hair, but in no avail. He had a dreamy crop of silky hair when in school, but as he grew older, his hair along with his childhood sweetheart deserts him. He then tries several remedies that range from ridiculous to bizarre, the situation give ample scope for the first half of the film to be high on fun with witty one liners that will leave you in splits. The screenplay, dialogues and writing is very smart that deserves special mention.
Bala is undoubtedly Ayushmann’s film but Bhumi and Yami have played their characters with such aplomb that they are never put in the shade. Bhumi plays his childhood friend Latika, who is always ridiculed for her complexion, and who later comes to his rescue. The surprise packet is Yami Gautam, who plays a tik-tok star and a small-time model from Lucknow who marries Bala only to ditch him when she comes to know of his bald pate. Amar Kuashik, who last directed the sleeper hit, Stree, perfectly captures the essence of a small town of Northern India, with all its accents, moments and obsessions. In one of the funniest bits in the film, the three of them just hanging out casually, Javed Jaffery and Abhsekh Banerjee playing Bala’s two best friends, break into Amitabh Bachchan imitations
All said and done, Bala is a light-hearted experimental comedy with relatable situations. It has a message that is relevant in this modern era when we all go by the looks of a person. Even with its flaws, it never fails to entertain. I’m going with 3 out of 5 for Bala.