Bala is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language gangster action film written and directed by Deepak, starring Shaam as the titular character in the lead role, while Meera Jasmine, Raghuvaran, Rajan P. Dev, Thilakan, Nagesh, and Karunas play supporting roles. The music was composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja with cinematography by Priyan and editing by V. T. Vijayan. The film was released on 13 December 2002.
| Bala | |
|---|---|
.jpg) DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Deepak |
| Written by | Deepak Viji (dialogues) |
| Produced by | Rajaa Baalu Raju Magalingam |
| Starring | Shaam Meera Jasmine |
| Cinematography | Priyan |
| Edited by | V. T. Vijayan |
| Music by | Yuvan Shankar Raja |
Production company | Goldmine Pictures |
Release date |
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| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
editBala is the favourite hitman of gangster Pasupathi. When Bala is not zooming around in jeeps with a wild-looking gang, parading down lanes with the same gang faithfully following a step behind him, or knocking down one person or another, he is successfully wooing Aarthi, the girl he fell for at first sight. Aarthi is the daughter of Jayamani, a rival gangster. Ailing don Paranthaman, the mentor of the two rivals, seeing his protégés at each other's throats, brings a compromise by suggesting that Aarthi will be married to Pasupathi's wayward son. Bala naturally becomes a unwanted person in both camps, till it's all's well that ends well.
Cast
edit- Shaam as Bala
- Meera Jasmine as Aarthi
- Raghuvaran as Jayamani
- Rajan P. Dev as Pasupathi
- Thilakan as Paranthaman
- Nagesh as Varadhan
- Karunas as Kutty
- Thalaivasal Vijay as Om Prakash
- Rajasekar as Vishwanath
- Kalairani as Bala's blind mother
- Meera Krishnan as Abirami
- Santhoshi as Purnima
- Mahanadhi Shankar as Madhurai
- Singamuthu as Venkatarama
- Sabitha Anand as Bhagyam
- Gouthami as Pasupathi's wife
- Kamalesh as Guru
- Master Udayaraj as Jayamani's son
- Baby Srividya as Jayamani's daughter
- Scissor Manohar as the bus conductor
- Muthukaalai as a bus passenger
Production
editDeepak, who worked as an assistant director to Gandhi Krishna (of Engineer) and as an editor made his directorial debut with this film. Yuvan Shankar Raja was signed to compose the music for the film.[1] Vidya Balan, the original choice for lead actress, was replaced by Meera Jasmine in the film.[2] Shaam departed from his romantic hero role and portrayed an action oriented role in the film.[3]
Some scenes were shot on a boat about fifteen kilometers from the harbour, in Chennai whereas at the Vauhini Studios, Chennai, a lavish set was erected where Shaam and Meera Jasmine danced to the beat of a song.[4]
Soundtrack
editThe soundtrack, featuring 5 songs, was composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja and released on 20 October 2002.[5] The song "Bailamo Bailamo" was originally composed for the Srikanth-starrer April Maadhathil, but eventually used in this film.[6] The song "Theendi Theendi" is based on "Rim Jhim Rim Jhim" from Mahaadev (1989), which was composed by Ilaiyaraaja, Yuvan's father.[7]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bailamo Bailamo" | Pa. Vijay | Yuvan Shankar Raja | 4:20 |
| 2. | "Poopoovai" | Arivumathi | Unni Menon, Ganga | 4:55 |
| 3. | "Theendi Theendi" | Pa. Vijay | P. Unnikrishnan, Sujatha Mohan | 4:10 |
| 4. | "Vaanathu Poochi" | Kabilan | Karthik, Mathangi | 4:30 |
| 5. | "En Kannai" | Palani Bharathi | Shankar Mahadevan | 4:13 |
| Total length: | 22:08 | |||
Release and reception
editA critic from The Hindu stated that "'Bala' is another of those typical action flicks that flood the cinema scene today".[8] Malini Mannath of Chennai Online opined that "It's yet again a gangster film, the scenes flowing albeit smoothly, but expectantly through clichéd situations giving one a sense of deja vu throughout".[9] Visual Dasan of Kalki criticised the age old story and called the film boring, while praised the dialogues, background score, and cinematography.[10] Sify wrote "There is nothing new in the story as it looks like a rehash of several films. The flashback of how Bala became a hatchet man for Pasupathi is long winded and tame. Even the music of Yuvan Shankar Raja fails to impress. Shaam looks totally uncomfortable and he needs to put in more effort in emotional scenes. Meera Jasmine has the screen presence though she has nothing much to do. On the whole the film fails to impress as director Deepak could not package the film as an entertainer".[11] Cinesouth wrote "The film was a lifeline for Shyam who had been having only failures and for debut director Deepak. Sorry to say this, but a wishy-washy plot and weak narration made the film a disaster".[12] Despite the failure of Shaam's previous films, this film managed to average business.[13]
References
edit- ^ "Youthful team". The Hindu. 31 May 2002. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
- ^ "Vidya Balan was the original choice for Bala". The Times of India. 5 February 2018. Archived from the original on 11 November 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
- ^ "Bala". Sify. 14 April 2003. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
- ^ "BALA". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 3 October 2002. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
- ^ "Ready for the fights". The Hindu. 22 October 2002. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ "Success guaranteed". The Hindu. 19 November 2005. Archived from the original on 22 March 2006. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
- ^ S., Karthik. "Yuvan Shankar Raja [Tamil]". ItwoFS. Archived from the original on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
- ^ ""Bala"". The Hindu. 20 December 2002. Archived from the original on 17 August 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ Mannath, Malini (19 December 2002). "Bala". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 11 March 2005. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ தாசன், விஷுவல் (29 December 2002). "பாலா" [Bala]. Kalki (in Tamil). p. 1. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2022 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Bala". Sify. Archived from the original on 29 December 2004. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
- ^ "Bala". Cinesouth. Archived from the original on 2 April 2004. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
- ^ Warrier, Shobha (10 January 2003). "Tamil Cinema 2002: When The Stars Failed". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2023.