Bala: A Story We All Know But is it the Same?

Bala is one of the most promising upcoming projects of Bollywood. With Ayushmann Khurrana in the lead role, who is known to perform unconventional roles with superb acting, one is sure that Bala would be the same. Yet again, Ayushmann is back on the big screen with his inconsiderate story of a young bald man fighting premature baldness and how he overcomes his journey. 

Bala: The Story of Struggle

Bala, a man living in Kanpur is the victim of alopecia. This has eventually resulted in his lack of self-confidence and he cannot do anything but take pity on himself. The film shows the journey of Bala and how he has to deal with societal pressure. Hailing from Kanpur, it is very natural for the pressure too is too much on him, Bala explores the different options available to him so that he can overcome the taunts of society and get married to his dreamgirl. 

Obsession with Fair Complexion

We might not know, but one Bala lives among all of us whom we make fun of. Although the film is portrayed in a similar joking manner it actually deals with a very serious subject. Apart from balding, Ujda Chaman also highlights yet another major issue of India, the obsession with fair complexion. In the movie we have lead actresses like Bhumi Pednekar and Yami Gautam. While Yami Gautam is portrayed no less than a fair-skinned, dream girl like a model, Bhumi on the contrast is portrayed a dark-skinned lady who is friends with Bala.

In Fact the obsession with fair skin is shown to such an extent that the name of Yami Gautam’s character has been kept Pari. Apart from the struggle of Bala, we are also introduced to the struggle of Nikita, played by Bhumi Pednekar. While societal pressure is too much on Bala, the same applies to Nikita as well. Marriage comes as a major part in the film, for Bala is a young man looking to get married but is often mistaken to be a middle-aged man for his balding. 

The obsession of Indian people for fair skin is made predominant from the very first dialogue of the trailer, “Padhai Likhai, Jaati Prajati sab baad me, sirf gori ladki chahiye, in short jo gori hai woh sundar hai”. We are constantly put in a haze of Bala struggling to find the love between Nikita and Pari. We are yet to know who Bala chooses as his lover. With the release of the movie, several stories would eventually unfold. 

Bala Movie Cast

Apart from Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar and Yami Gautam the film also stars Javed Jaffrey, Seema Pahwa, Saurabh Shukla, Abhishek Banerjee, and Dheerendra Kumar. 

Trailer and Poster

While the poster was released on 27th May, the official trailer was launched on 26 August by Maddock Films. The trailer of the movie has got more than 48 million views on YouTube. 

Controversies

Even before the release of the movie, Bala has got itself into a lot of trouble because of the copyright violation of Ujda Chaman that focuses on the same story. Ujda Chaman makers accused the filmmakers saying they stole the idea. However, later on Ayushmann cleared the air stating he was offered 6 films on the same storyline but he chose the one that he found was more credible. Fair, enough? 

Another controversy that Bala got itself into was regarding its first song release Don’t Be Shy Again. While this track was a hit back in the initial 2000s, remixed and composed by Dr. Zeus, the makers failed to provide credits to him. This got Dr Zeus furious for he wasn’t given credit. However, later on, due credit was given to him and the original writers of the song. 

Bala directed by Amar Kaushik is all set to but the theatres on 7th November 2019. And honestly, the audience just cannot keep up with their hype for the movie.