Nagesh S.

Rip roaring comedy. Rib tickling from the beginning to the end, taking swipes at USA and Italian bureaucracy. Jack Lemmon excels with his superb acting. Those were the times when Italian cuisine was not popular as now. There is a scene where Lemmon and his friend go to an Italian restaurant where he enquires from the server what is on the menu. Waiter rattles off a couple of dozen names of pasta in one breath, and you should watch the expression on Lemmon's face!

Bala is just an average movie pretending to be a rib-tickler. The humour is contrived at best, and vulgar at its worst. The story line is weak and incomplete, and does not impress, despite some inspired performances by some of the actors. Thinly disguised racism in the movie does not get compensated by some last minute lecturing by Aushmann Khurana. Unnecessary scenes added to lengthen the movie make it look like a patchwork quilt. The script writer does not the meaning of poetic justice. It'd do well for him to watch an immensely enjoyable movie like Un Homme a la Hauteur based on a similar subject, but expounded in a much more subtle and sensitive manner. And then there are at least half a dozen movies based on baldness, which are far more inspiring. All in all, a forgettable junk.

I love the song "Tu cheez badi hain" from this movie. It may very well be "inspired" by a more famous singer's original song, but then what a rip off! Raga Bhimpalasi, on which the song is based, used to be popular in Hindi film music in the fifties, but kind of fell into disuse in the later years. This song resurrected the raga, kindled the interest of the audience in the original composition. As a parody, it is nonpareil.