Updated On: 08 November, 2019 10:40 AM IST | Mumbai | Mayank Shekhar
It's almost as if Bala has been designed to clear every headspace and leg/elbow room for the leading man Ayushmann Khurrana to spread his wings and fly. And boy, does he shine!

Bala movie poster. Picture courtesy: Ayushmann Khurrana's Instagram account
To start with, you know there's a great script playing out on the screen before you (credited to the hit TV show Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma writer, Niren Bhatt) when, as an audience, you find yourself strangely developing empathy, even for the lead female character (Yami Gautam, in such fine form).
She is so vain and fame-hungry as a small-town Tik Tok star that for her looks, selfies, likes and followers matter more than love, marriage, real life, or real relationships. You'd otherwise feel sorry for such a floozy character. Or find her incredibly funny. There's that as well. Yet, for all her flaws, you know where she's coming from. And which is a pretty warm place still.