Movie Review – Bala

Spitefully smitten

Ideally a film so weak like ‘Bala’ should have gone deep down the dumps but it resurrects itself beautifully through masterful making which doesn’t bore us for most part. Add to it we have a good cast who don’t overdo stuff, may be except for the make up which looks overdone for both the ladies. But above all, why the movie works is because of the humor factor. Which is a fool proof method to woo any audience. Here the movie doesn’t get serious at any point of time. There isn’t a single place where it goes teary eyed. Even the most serious scenes are dealt with a tinge of humor. May be that’s to escape the risk of becoming melodramatic. But whatever, it majorly works.

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It’s yet another Ayushmann Khurrana message movie where he takes a subject which everyone can relate to and presents it with humor. He has now mastered the art. The film works because of him, may be if it had been anyone else, it wouldn’t have been this good. But on the other side, it’s not as glorious as how he was in the movies where he was in full form, like a ‘Badhaai Ho’ or ‘Vicky Donor’. The law of averages has finally caught up with him, in this segment. But thankfully his not outs have been more so he still has a healthy average. I told previously that being the guy who acts only in these type of message films is a risk. He time and again proved me wrong, even with ‘Article 15’, which I throughout wouldn’t be great. But with ‘Bala’ he seemed to have slouched a little bit.

The film opens with a couple of kids in school. One a hero and another an object of ridicule. The hero guy woos all the kids around by fluffing his hair and calls the dusky girl, a blackie. But she’s not the one to deter. The scenes even though a normal happening in school shows what impact these things would have on a kid. It’s good that the girl had a strong heart, otherwise she’d have easily been broken off. Young Latika (Saniya Touqeer) if much more fabulous than the elder version (Bhumi Pednekar) Thanks to the shoddy makeup. Young Bala (Sachin Choudhary) too does a decent job whereas with respect to the apt look, the elder version looks were done really well, given that Ayushmann Khurrana has slimmed down for the role, which in a way it looks realistic for the titular role.

For a script like this, there is nothing much you can do differently with respect to the story. So, the entire first half talks about how Bala deals with the bald image and his various antics. Most of the jokes where he tries to grow up the hair, even though silly, gives us laughs. In the second half he gets married to a beautiful girl who thinks he has real hair. Quite obviously he wants to tell the truth but couldn’t, which leads to comedy of errors. There is a phase where it should have got a little serious. Especially the day after the marriage but that’s dealt comically too. May be the makers took a cue from ‘Vicky Donor’ where the only part which looked weak was the phase where Yami Gautam rejects him. I found it to be too silly a twist. But unlike ‘Vicky Donor’, ‘Bala’ is a film which rides more on comedy than on emotional quotient so it was okay for the twist, which I’m sure everyone would have guessed.

It’s a good ploy to employ Yami Gautam as a fairness model, which she is in her real life. Bhumi Pednekar on the other hand acts as the more evolved person out the two leading ladies and does a fair job in spite of the de-glam make up. Generally, in an Ayushmann Khurrana movie, which in itself has become a brand, it’s the side kicks and environment which works big time. Here too it’s the same. His house, street, family members, everyone look so apt and natural. That’s why it’s a film which has more hits than misses.

Movie Review – English Vinglish

Treat for the sweet tooth

‘English Vinglish’ was an unimaginable surprise.  At most I thought the movie would be watchable but was thinking of all the pseudo feminist angle which would spoil the film but the movie was pleasantly sweet to my liking. Instead of going overboard and making an overtly sweet film, this comes with the right ingredients to satisfy the palate, as well as being not heavy. So ‘English Vinglish’ achieves its purpose.

The movie had great hype back then because of Sridevi’s reentry to the cinema. In spite of being a big big Sridevi fan I wasn’t keen on watching the film because of the aforementioned inhibitions. After lamenting a lot and deliberately postponing the film I finally ticked it off, thanks to the lockdown. I made sure I wasn’t investing all my concentration on the film so wanted to involve in some activities in parallel like playing cards or eating snacks but to my surprise once she starts her journey to New York I was deeply engrossed in the film.

I didn’t understand the idea of using a single letter in Hindi in all the names in title cards. Guess it was because they didn’t want the title to be fully in English as that’s the whole point, how English is not everything. but if its not and made just for cuteness factor then it’s a fail. Sridevi introduction too could have been better. Either she should have been given a mass hero entry or should have just been one among the family, instead of looking at the camera for the introduction scene.

But in every scene post that she excels. The best part of her is the chemistry with his son. Reminded me so much about my mom. Don’t know what’s with food and Indian cinema nowadays, that too the ones I’m watching recently. Every thing has invigorating palate on screen which is tempting beyond words. That too for someone who doesn’t like Motichor Ladoo, it was still inviting. And the pleasure she takes in making food.

The insults or is it too harsh a word, the discomfort she faces because she gets ridiculed for not having good English was going over the top initially. Especially the one which comes from her daughter. It could have been handled subtly. But the husband part was superbly done. The person who was thinking that he was appreciating his wife by saying that she was born to make ladoos and protect her by saying that her English is not good was superb. It was the right mix where he doesn’t go full on and insult her but leaves a sly mark. He’s not an antihero but not a hero too for herself.

The person who gives her a space in front of him in queue ends up being in her English class. That was a nice screenplay twist. Also, he was the one I truly felt bad for. Poor guy, he doesn’t understand the culture, coming from a romantic place. Add to it he doesn’t understand the language of the new city as well as the language of her. So, it all adds to the chaos. The other characters didn’t have much to do. Even Priya Anand’s accent wasn’t really like an Indian settled in a foreign country.

What Sridevi and Guari Shinde have done best is that at no point they made it a false feminist film. There were no anti men scenes and the focus was only on her English inhibition and not life as such. Especially during the climax when she asks for Hindi newspaper it wasn’t as if to show the power of her but the nature of her. That’s a truly beautiful scene.

Though the climax speech was a great way of ending the film, that too in an organic way, the scene which worked for me is the coffee shop scene where she effortlessly orders for her coffee. It was like the second time I went to Subway. The first time being the one I didn’t understand anything but I had done enough homework and was like “I’ve arrived” when I went there the second time. And special mention to the music. Amit Trivedi always stands out and elevates the film to next level with his music. The best part of him is, just like the movie, he doesn’t overdo stuff but keeps it simple and soothing.