Bala is a terrific entertainer in all respects and is bound to make you laugh and even move you. The makers also give an important message but the film isn’t preachy at all. Writer Niren Bhatt adds enough entertaining and dramatic moments to keep the interest going. Also his dialogues are very clever. Amar Kaushik’s direction is excellent and the film flows very organically. First Stree, now Bala, Amar proves he can become the next big thing in Bollywood! The film doesn’t bore even for a second but some scenes initially don’t impress much. Also, the film drops a bit in the second half. Talking of performances, Ayushmann Khurrana is as expected outstanding and is a complete natural, as if he has been bald all his life. Bhumi Pednekar gets to play a touching and firebrand character and she does total justice. Bala, in fact, is her best performance till date! Yami Gautam also gets to play a crucial part and leaves a huge mark. Her romantic scenes with Ayushmann are a treat. Saurabh Shukla is dependable. Abhishek Banerjee and Seema Pahwa make their presence felt but Jaaved Jaaferi gets a raw deal. All in all, Bala is a terrific entertainer and one of the best films of the year. Don’t miss it for anything!
My rating – **** out of 5!