Amar Kaushik's Bala was promoted as a film about a young guy facing an issue of pre-mature balding. But believe us this movie is more than that.
It is about these three characters, Balmukund aka Bala (Ayushmann Khurrana), Latika (Bhumi Pednekar) and Pari (Yami Gautam), and their different perspective about the society. Bala suffers from pre-mature balding and wants a beautiful girl to get married. With the help of a wig, he impresses Pari and the two get married. What happens next forms the rest of the story...
Niren Bhatt has written the story, screenplay and the dialogues of the film, and he is actually the ‘hero’ of this movie. The basic concept of the film is damn good and Bhatt's screenplay in the first half is impressive. It dips a bit in the second half, but the movie never bores you. The dialogues are the best element in the film. The one-liners are so funny that it will surely make you laugh out loud. We love how the TikTok craze has been showcased in the film. It's an apt thing in today's time.
While the writing is very smart, Amar Kaushik's direction is also up to the mark. After Stree, this man once again proves his mettle as a director and now, we wait to watch what he will do next. But well, one thing that we would like to point out here is that the film should have been titled something else. It's not just about Bala or baldness, it is about a lot of stereotypes that we face in the society, and even the female characters play a very pivotal part here, so a different title would have been better.
Talking about performances, we have a question here. Is there a role that Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar can't do? Well, the answer to this question surely seems to be a big 'NO'. Ayushmann is simply brilliant in the film. He makes us feel the pain his character is going through and he also impresses us with his comic timing. Just two weeks ago, we saw Bhumi as a 70-year-old woman on the big screen in Saand Ki Aankh and here she is playing a young girl with a dark complexion. The actress has carried the role very confidently, proving her versatility once again.
Now, let's talk about Yami Gautam. Well, of course, the film has strong performers like Ayushmann and Bhumi, but we have to say that Yami stands out. Her comic timing is exceptional in this film and she also impresses us in the emotional sequences. Watch out for the scene when she comes to know that Bala is bald. She is just WOW in it.
While the three leads are fantastic, we cannot ignore the supporting cast. Seema Pahwa, Saurabh Shukla, Jaaved Jaaferi, and Abhishek Banerjee, all of them are just amazing in their respective roles. A special mention to Dheerendra Kumar Gautam who plays the role of Bala’s brother in the film; he is simply awesome.
Overall, Bala is an entertaining film and gives out a very strong message. This movie should surely be on your list to watch this weekend...
Ratings: 4/5
P.S. This film also takes us on a nostalgia trip thanks to the addition of the 90s songs in it...
Virgin Media is offering free access to 14 premium South Asian channels during South Asian Heritage Month.
The channels are usually part of the £12-per-month Asian Mela bundle.
The offer runs until 17 August for all Virgin TV customers.
Programming includes drama, lifestyle, film, and sport – including cricket tournaments and major TV series.
Highlights include Kaun Banega Crorepati, Anupama, Pushpa: The Rule Part 2, and more.
Virgin TV celebrates South Asian Heritage Month with free premium channel access
Virgin Media is giving its TV customers complimentary access to 14 premium South Asian TV channels until 17 August, as part of its celebration of South Asian Heritage Month.
The channels form part of Virgin’s Asian Mela bundle, which typically costs £12 per month, and include a range of content across drama, lifestyle, comedy, movies and live sports.
Premium programming at no extra cost
Virgin Media has confirmed that shows available to stream include popular South Asian titles such as:
Anupama on Utsav Plus HD
Tum Se Tum Tak on Zee TV HD
Mangal Lakshmi on Colors HD
Prithviraj Chauhan on Sony TV HD
Major upcoming events include the return of Amitabh Bachchan in Season 17 of Kaun Banega Crorepati, airing 11 August on Sony TV HD, and the highly anticipated Season 2 of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, premiering 29 July on Utsav Plus HD, marking 25 years since the show's original debut.
Cricket fans can also enjoy the World Championship of Legends on Sony MAX HD, featuring 18 T20-format matches and iconic players such as Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Eoin Morgan, Shahid Afridi, and Chris Gayle.
Indian cinema and classic films
Customers will also have access to six dedicated Indian movie channels, screening global hits including:
Pushpa: The Rule Part 2 – the highest-grossing Indian film of 2024 – on Zee Cinema HD
Classic films such as Pardes on B4U Movies
Virgin Media’s full Asian Mela channel line-up
The following channels are now available at no extra cost to Virgin TV customers:
801: Utsav Gold HD
802: Utsav Bharat
803: Utsav Plus HD
805: Sony TV HD
806: Sony MAX HD
808: Sony MAX 2
809: Zee TV HD
810: Zee Cinema HD
811: Zee Punjabi HD
815: B4U Movies
825: Colors Gujarati
826: Colors HD
827: Colors Rishtey
828: Colors Cineplex
Virgin Media’s message to viewers
David Bouchier, Chief TV & Entertainment Officer at Virgin Media O2, said:
“We want to celebrate South Asian Heritage Month the best way we know how – by giving Virgin TV customers access to world-leading South Asian entertainment to enjoy at no extra cost.”
“It’s an incredibly important time for families and friends to come together and celebrate the living legacy of South Asian heritage. We hope there’s something for everyone to enjoy across the 14 premium Asian Mela channels.”
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KL Rahul hits a shot during Day One of the 4th Test Match between England and India at Emirates Old Trafford on July 23, 2025 in Manchester. (Photo: Getty Images)
JASPRIT BUMRAH has been named in India's team for the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford, starting Wednesday.
Before the series began, it had been announced that Bumrah, the world’s top-ranked Test bowler, would feature in only three of the five matches to manage his workload after a back injury.
However, with India trailing 2-1 following a 22-run loss at Lord’s — a match Bumrah played — he was included in the XI for the must-win Test in Manchester.
India made three changes to their side. Batsman Sai Sudharsan came in for Karun Nair, while Shardul Thakur and debutant Anshul Kamboj replaced injured fast bowlers Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep.
Rishabh Pant, who suffered a finger injury, was cleared to keep wicket.
England had already confirmed their playing XI. They made one change, with Liam Dawson returning to the Test team after eight years, replacing Shoaib Bashir, who was ruled out of the series with a finger injury sustained at Lord’s.
England captain Ben Stokes won the toss on Wednesday and chose to field on an overcast morning.
No team has won a Test at Old Trafford after winning the toss and bowling first.
India are yet to win a Test match at Old Trafford. They have lost four and drawn five of their nine previous matches at the venue.
Teams England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Jamie Smith (wkt), Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (capt), Rishabh Pant (wkt), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Anshul Kamboj, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Umpires: Ahsan Raza (PAK), Rod Tucker (AUS) TV Umpire: Kumar Dharmasena (SRI) Match Referee: Jeff Crowe (NZ)
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Bangladesh's players celebrate their team's win at the end of the second Twenty20 international cricket matchagainst Pakistan at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on July 22, 2025. (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
BANGLADESH survived a late onslaught by Faheem Ashraf and Ahmed Daniyal to pull off a narrow eight-run victory in the second T20I match on Tuesday (22), winning a first-ever series in the format against Pakistan.
Ashraf hit an aggressive 32-ball 51 while debutant Daniyal smashed an 11-ball 17 but holed out off the second ball of the final over as Pakistan were all out for 125 in their chase of 134 to win in Dhaka.
Earlier, Jaker Ali struck a 48-ball 55 as Bangladesh -- sent in to bat -- were bowled out for 133 in 20 overs, with Salman Mirza taking 2-17 and Daniyal close behind on 2-23.
Left-arm Bangladesh pacer Shoriful Islam picked up his best T20I figures of 3-17 on a slow-paced Mirpur pitch as Pakistan lost their first five wickets for just 15 runs by the fifth over.
Ashraf cracked four sixes and as many boundaries to raise hopes of a comeback win, but spinner Rishad Hossain bowled him in the penultimate over.
Ashraf and Abbas Afridi, who scored a 13-ball 19, had revived the innings from 47-7 with a 41-run stand, but Bangladesh had the last laugh.
Bangladesh won the first match at the same venue by seven wickets and took an unassailable 2-0 lead with the final match on Thursday (24), also in Dhaka.
This was Bangladesh's first T20I series win over Pakistan in four tries.
Pakistan lost opener Saim Ayub to a run out for one in the first over before Islam dismissed Fakhar Zaman (8) and Mohammad Haris (0) to hit Pakistan hard at the top.
Bangladesh skipper Litton Das praised a team effort.
"It's wonderful to win back-to-back series," said Litton, who also led the team to a 2-1 T20I series in Sri Lanka last week. "This shows good improvement in our standards."
Pakistan captain Salman Agha rued his side's batting lapses.
"We thought 134 would be gettable but we lost too many wickets early on and that's something we must address quickly," said Agha.
Earlier, Jaker smashed five sixes and a boundary for his third T20I half century.
Bangladesh had lost four wickets for 28 by the sixth over before Jaker and Mahedi Hasan revived the innings with a 53-run stand for the fifth wicket.
Mahedi scored a 25-ball 33 with two sixes and as many boundaries.
(AFP)
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Indian man in his forties was injured in the attack in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo: X/@AkhileshIFS)
AN INDIAN man in his forties was hospitalised following a violent and apparently racist attack in a suburb of Dublin, Ireland, prompting strong condemnation from both the Indian community and diplomats.
According to official statements, the incident occurred last Saturday (19) on Parkhill Road in Tallaght. The victim, who had arrived in Ireland only a few weeks prior, was severely assaulted by a group of young men in what local reports have described as "mindless, racist violence."
The Gardaí - Irish police - responded to the scene, and the man was taken to Tallaght University Hospital with multiple injuries to his head, face, arms and legs. Eyewitnesses reported that the attackers not only beat the victim but also slammed his head against a lamppost and stripped him of his shoes, trousers, underwear, phone and money, leaving him bleeding on the roadside until local residents intervened.
Initial rumours circulated online, falsely accusing the victim of inappropriate behaviour near children; however, the Gardaí have dismissed these claims and are treating the incident as a potential hate crime. Authorities have confirmed that the accusations were baseless and amplified by far-right, anti-immigrant online accounts
The Indian ambassador to Ireland, Akhilesh Mishra, publicly expressed shock at both the brutal nature of the assault and the perceived insensitivity in some Irish media coverage.
On social media, he questioned: "How can an 'ALLEGED' assault cause such horrible injury and bleeding? Aghast at the insensitivity and obfuscation of RTE [Ireland’s national media outlet]… Hope the perpetrators are brought to justice." He also thanked the Gardaí and members of the Irish public for their support.
Local political figures have called for an increased Garda presence in Tallaght, citing recurring minor incidents in the area and stressing the important contributions made by Indian nationals living and working in Ireland. Fine Gael councillor Baby Pereppadan noted the victim remains in shock and has declined visitors, underscoring the trauma inflicted by the attack
Reacting to the assault, community groups have organised a Stand Against Racism protest for Friday (25) at the Treepark Road roundabout in Kilnamanagh, Tallaght. The demonstration, planned by United Against Racism and Dublin South West Together, is intended as a show of solidarity with migrants and a repudiation of far-right efforts to fuel racial hostility.
These groups stressed, "The people being attacked are our neighbours; their children are the children of our neighbours. … Who lives here belongs here! Let this be a turning point against racist attacks in our community, Tallaght!”
The investigation by Gardaí is ongoing, and no arrests have yet been reported. The incident has intensified calls within both Irish and Indian communities for action against racially motivated violence and for the perpetrators to be held accountable.
(PTI)
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Junior doctors hold placards as they stand on a picket line outside the Royal University Hospital during a national strike over pay and conditions, in Liverpool, January 3, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)
A PLANNED five-day strike by junior doctors in England will go ahead as scheduled this week after pay negotiations with the government failed, their union said on Tuesday.
The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents the doctors, said discussions with health aecretary Wes Streeting had not made progress on issues related to pay and working conditions.
Junior doctors had voted for strike action following the government’s decision to award them a 5.4 per cent pay rise. The BMA has said this is far below the 29 per cent increase needed to restore real-term pay to 2008 levels.
The strike is set to begin at 0600 GMT on Friday.
In a statement, the BMA said recent talks with Streeting and other government officials had not produced a breakthrough.
“What we have seen so far is a series of 'no’s – no to movement on pay, no to student loan forgiveness, no to any credible move forwards," said BMA junior doctors committee co-chairs Melissa Ryan and Ross Nieuwoudt.
"What we need to see are some ways forward, some kind of positive approach to get us out of this dispute."
Streeting said the industrial action would impact patient services and add pressure on the National Health Service.
"The BMA would have lost nothing by taking up the offer to postpone strike action to negotiate a package that would improve the working lives of resident doctors," he said in an emailed statement.
Ryan and Nieuwoudt said they were open to talks, but added: "We don’t accept we can’t talk about pay."