BALD BUT BEAUTIFUL
Two new Hindi films are asking If bald can indeed be beautiful
Adversity, thy name is Ayushmann Khurrana. First there was erectile dysfunction (Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, 2017) and then came blindness
(Andhadhun, 2018). This year around, Khurrana is a 20-something man suffering from premature baldness (Bala, November 7). Khurrana, though, is not the only one to be afflicted. Releasing a week before is Ujda Chaman, an official remake of the Kannada film, Ondu Motteya Kathe, with Sunny Singh (of
Pyaar Ka Punchnama, 2011) playing a balding bachelor in desperate search of a bride. Though similar, neither of the two films enjoys the distinction of being the first in 2019 where one’s hair is the root of all problems. That honour goes to Gone Kesh, in which Shweta Tiwari’s character negotiates life with alopecia.
Bala’s writer, Niren Bhatt, welcomes Bollywood’s new battle for manes. “Forever we have had films about good versus evil, cops against corrupt politicians and gangsters. If there are films on bald heroes, then it is better for society,” he says. Bhatt focuses on the titular protagonist (Khurrana) who, once blessed with a lush head of hair, is now quickly losing the asset which once made him a heart-throb. “From being the hero, he suddenly becomes a character actor in his own story,” says Bhatt.
What made Bala more authentic is the personal experience of its director, Amar Kaushik, who has been losing hair since his early 20s too. “He told me you wake up in the morning and the first thing you do is check for the amount of hair on your pillow. You comb gently,” says Bhatt. “There is real pathos and angst here. Your confidence falls. There’s social stigma that says these people do not look good.”
The obsession with appearance is also central to Ujda Chaman, which marks the directorial debut of Abhishek Pathak, who had produced the two Pyaar Ka Punchnama films. Written by Danish Singh, the film, says Pathak, is a social
The films show that actors today are willing to forsake their vanity for a good role
comedy which will appeal to people with physical insecurities. “It’s not just about the bald guy being teased,” he says. “It asks society a big question.” For Pathak, the story fits the Rajkumar Hirani school of filmmaking, of which he is an ardent fan. “He makes you cry while making you laugh,” he says. “You are confused about your emotions and you love it.”
Bala and Ujda Chaman also demonstrate the willingness of actors today to forsake their own vanity to do a film where the hero isn’t dapper and desirable. With a string of hits to his name, Khurrana has proven that it’s possible to get commercial success alongside critical acclaim. His newfound star power is what makes Pathak concerned about the fate of his smaller film. He served a notice to the makers of Bala, Maddock Films, early this year for copyright violation since he has the rights to the Kannada film.
“They are saying [that] being bald is not a unique idea,” he says. “So why didn’t you make it in 2016 or 2017? You only made it after the Kannada film came into the limelight. It’s not like recession—achanak se ho gaya.” The makers of Bala brought forward their film’s release by three weeks to clash with Ujda Chaman only to see the latter alter its release date. “It’s like bullying a smaller film,” says Pathak. “You are eating into my revenue and that of the industry and trying to come across as the first people who made this film. It’s unfair.” Some would say so is balding prematurely. ■