Bala 

Bala is a 2019 Hindi-language satirical black comedy film directed by Amar Kaushik and produced by Dinesh Vijan, based on an original story by Bengali film director Pavel Bhattacharjee. It stars Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar and Yami Gautam.

Bala revolves around the protagonist Balmukund Shukla, a young man living in Kanpur who is suffering from male pattern baldness, and the story is about his lack of confidence and societal pressure that comes with premature balding. It focuses on the social issues of baldness and colourism. Principal photography of the film took place from May to July 2019 in Kanpur, Mumbai and Lucknow. The soundtrack album was composed by Sachin–Jigar

Bala was released in preview shows on 7 November 2019 and theatrically worldwide on 8 November 2019.It was a critical and commercial success. The film emerged as a blockbuster with global earnings of ₹172 crore. Bala was showcased in Indo-German Filmweek 2020 in Berlin on 27 September 2020.

At the 65th Filmfare Awards, Bala received 3 nominations, including Best Actor (Khurrana) and Best Supporting Actress (Pahwa).

Plot

The film opens in Kanpur in 2005, where 14-year-old students tease a bald teacher. Balmukund “Bala” Shukla, a popular kid who carries much pride for his hairstyle, leads the teasing of the teacher. Bala borrows notes from the studious and dark-complexioned Latika Trivedi who was good in studies and passes them off as his own to the fair-skinned Shruti to impress her by pasting a new sticker bearing his name above Latika’s notebook. When Latika calls him out and open up the sticker in front of Shruti, Bala berates her for being dark-skinned. The narrator describes how society values beauty and fair skin over other accomplishments, especially in marriage.

14 years later, Bala is a balding man in his late twenties who struggles with his premature baldness. He is a fairness cream salesman by day and nightclub comic by night. One day, Bala angrily lashes out at his bald father Hari, who is a ghar jamai, that the father’s balding genes have killed the son’s prospects. Hari presents him with a wig and explains that baldness is external and need not have anything to do with one’s accomplishments. Bala dons the wig and resumes his work with new vigor. He finally meets his crush, a pretty, fair-skinned model, Pari Mishra, and courts her. They decide to marry. Some days before the wedding, Bala is stricken by conscience and sends her a text disclosing his baldness. Unbeknownst to him, the text accidentally goes to someone else and Pari does not see it. Bala assumes she has accepted his baldness and they marry.

Latika has her share of troubles. Many boys and families come to see her but reject her because of her dark skin. Among these prospective suitors is Rohan, an Australia-settled NRI who is attracted to Latika but the meeting blows over when his mother mentions Latika’s complexion and Latika storms out. Rohan asks to meet her and they reconcile until he mentions he was initially attracted to her due to her Instagram profile. Latika reveals that she is not on Instagram, and it is revealed that Bala had created a fake profile with airbrushed pictures of her at her aunt’s behest.

Fuming, Latika storms into Bala’s home the day after his wedding and shouts at him. She says she is not ashamed of her skin and warns him not to interfere in her life anymore. Pari hears this, discovers Bala’s baldness, and walks out on him. Bala is dejected. Bala visits her to talk it over. Pari reveals that she was blessed with good looks but not much else. She knew she was a below-average student and thus could not enter any other profession besides modeling. Her looks are all she has: they are the source of the attention she’s received all her life and the source of her livelihood. He later receives a court notice: Pari wants the marriage annulled.

Latika apologizes to Bala, as her outburst broke his marriage. Bala engages her as his lawyer and the court case begins. Latika cross-examines Pari, who accepts she married Bala because of his wits and charm. She also accepts that Bala did not mislead or defraud her but points out that Bala was not forthcoming about his baldness, claiming that if he isn’t comfortable with himself, he can’t sustain anyone else. Pari’s lawyer moves that Pari has a right to want to annul the marriage regardless. Bala interrupts the proceedings and agrees that Pari does have that right and the judge orders such. When Latika questions him later, Bala explains that the law cannot compel anyone to love another, and a half-hearted marriage will not work anyway.

Later, during one of his fair-cream sales events, Bala realizes that beauty is merely skin-deep. He publicly sheds his wig to show that self-love is important irrespective of appearance. He also realizes that he has fallen in love with Latika and runs to propose to her but sees that Rohan and his family have come to finalize the wedding. He proposes to Latika, but is disheartened when she rejects his proposal, though they are able to resume their friendship.

The film ends with Bala, now at peace with his baldness, doing a new comedy routine about skin-deep beauty and the meaning of life.

Cast

• Ayushmann Khurrana as Balmukund “Bala” Shukla
  • Sachin Choudhary as young Bala
• Bhumi Pednekar as Latika Trivedi, Bala’s former love interest
  • Saniya Touqeer as young Latika
• Yami Gautam as Pari Mishra, Bala’s former wife
• Javed Jaffrey as Bachchan Dubey, Bala’s best friend
• Saurabh Shukla as Hari Ram Shukla, Bala’s father
• Seema Bhargava Pahwa as Indira “Aanra” Jakharia, Latika’s maternal aunt
• Varun Shashi Rao as Rohan Joshi, Latika’s boyfriend
• Deepika Chikhalia as Sushila Mishra, Pari’s mother
• Sunita Rajwar as Manju Bajpai Shukla, Bala’s mother
• Umesh Shukla as Bhuvan Kumar Bajpai, Bala’s grandfather
• Abhishek Banerjee as Ajeet “Ajju” Saini
  • Rajat Singh as young Ajju

Production

Casting

The cast of the film was announced by producer Dinesh Vijan. The film, directed by Amar Kaushik, was publicized to star Ayushmann Khurrana in the titular role, Yami Gautam as a model based in Lucknow and Bhumi Pednekar as a dusky small town educated woman.

Filming

Principal photography began on 6 May 2019, and film was shot in Mumbai, Lucknow and Kanpur Filming concluded on 7 July 2019, with a special party for the wrap up.

Soundtrack

No.	Title	Lyrics	Singer(s)	Length
1.	“Don’t Be Shy Again”	Mellow D, Badshah	Badshah, Shalmali Kholgade, Gurdeep Mehendi	2:43
2.	“Naah Goriye” (Music: B Praak)	Jaani	Harrdy Sandhu, Swasti Mehul	3:04
3.	“Pyaar Toh Tha”	Priya Saraiya	Jubin Nautiyal, Asees Kaur	3:50
4.	“Tequila”	Jigar Saraiya	Divya Kumar, Jigar Saraiya	2:41
5.	“Zindagi”	Bhargav Purohit	Papon	3:14
6.	“Pyaar Toh Tha – Reprise (unreleased)”		Mustafa Zahid	3:51