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...
So, Kajol and Twinkle Khanna’s show, Two Much, is already near its fourth episode. And people keep asking: why do we love watching stars sit on sofas so much? It’s not the gossip. Not really. We’re not paying for the gossip. We’re paying for the glimpse. For the little wobble in a voice, a tiny apology, a family story you recognise. It’s why Simi’s white sofa mattered once, why Karan’s sofa rattled the tabloids, and why Kapil’s stage made everyone feel at home. The chat show isn’t dead. It just keeps changing clothes.
Why Indian audiences can’t stop watching chat shows from Simi Garewal to Karan Johar Instagram/karanjohar/primevideoin/ Youtube Screengrab
Remember the woman in white?
Simi Garewal brought quiet and intimacy. Her Rendezvous with Simi Garewal was all white sets and soft lights, and it felt almost like a church for confessions. She never went full interrogation mode with her guests. Instead, she’d just slowly unravel them, almost like magic. Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha, they all sat on that legendary white sofa, dropping their guard and letting something real slip out, something you’d never stumble across anywhere else. The whole thing was gentle, personal, and almost revolutionary.
Simi Garewal and her iconic white sofa changed the face of Indian talk showsYoutube Screengrab/SimiGarewalOfficial
Then along came Karan Johar
Let’s be honest, Karan Johar changed the game completely. Koffee with Karan was the polar opposite. Where Simi was a whisper, Karan was a roar. His rapid-fire round was a headline machine. Suddenly, it stopped being about struggles or emotions but opinions, little rivalries, and that full-on, shiny Bollywood chaos. He almost spun the film industry into a full-blown high school drama, and honestly? We loved it up.
Kapil Sharma rewired the format again and took the chat show, threw it in a blender with a comedy sketch, and created a monster hit. His genius was in creating a world or what we call his crazy “Shantivan Society” and making the celebrities enter his universe. Suddenly, Shah Rukh Khan was being teased by a fictional, grumpy neighbour and Ranbir Kapoor was taunted by a fictional disappointed ex-girlfriend. Stars were suddenly part of the spectacle, all halos tossed aside. It was chaotic, yes, but delightfully so. The sort of chaos that still passed the family-TV test. For once, these impossibly glamorous faces felt like old friends lounging in your living room.
Kajol and Twinkle’s Amazon show Two Much feels like friends talking to people in their circle, and that matters. What’s wild is, these folks aren’t the stiff, traditional hosts, they’re insiders. The fun ones. The ones who know every secret because, let’s be honest, they were there when the drama started. On a platform like Amazon, they don’t have to play for TRPs or stick to a strict clock. They can just… talk.
People want to peep behind the curtain. Even with Instagram and Reels, there’s value in a longer, live-feeling exchange. It’s maybe the nuance, like an awkward pause, a memory that makes a star human, or a silly joke that lands. OTT gives space for that. Celebs turned hosts, like Twinkle and Kajol in Two Much or peers like Rana Daggubati in Telugu with The Rana Daggubati Show, can ask differently; they make room for stories that feel earned, not engineered.
How have streaming and regional shows changed the game?
Streaming freed chat shows from TRP pressure and ad breaks. You get episodes that breathe. Even regional versions likeThe Rana Daggubati Show, or long-running local weekend programmes, prove this isn’t a Mumbai-only appetite. Viewers want local language and local memories, the same star-curiosity in Kannada, Telugu, or Tamil. That widens the talent pool and the tone.
From White Sofas to OTT Screens How Indian Talk Shows Keep Capturing HeartsiStock
Are shock moments over?
Not really. But people are getting sick of obvious bait. Recent launches lean into warmth and inside jokes rather than feeding headlines. White set, gold couch, or a stage full of noise, it doesn’t matter. You just want to sit there, listen, get pulled into their stories, like a campfire you can’t leave. We watch, just curious, hoping maybe these stars are a little like us. Or maybe we’re hoping we can borrow a bit of their sparkle.
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