Bald in Bollywood: Mere Stunt or Will We Get Heroes Sans Hair?

‘Bala’ & ‘Ujda Chaman’ both depict stories of men dealing with baldness. Is Bollywood ready to accept a bald hero?

Bald actors from Bala and Ujda Chaman.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam

Bala, starring Ayushmann Khurrana in the leading role, is all set to release on 22 November. It is a Bollywood satirical black comedy film directed by Amar Kaushik and produced by Dinesh Vijan. The film narrates the story of Bala, a man who is balding prematurely and how he copes with the situation.

Ujda Chaman, starring Sunny Singh in the leading role, is all set to release on 8 November. The movie is a comedy drama directed by Abhishek Pathak and produced by Kumar Mangat Pathak and Abhishek Pathak. It narrates the story of Chaman, a man who is balding prematurely and how he copes with the situation.

Ayushmann Khurrana and Sunny Singh in the teaser of Bala and the trailer of Ujda Chaman respectively, were unrecognisable in their bald avatars. It goes without saying that the two actors, portraying similar characters and starring in two films with similar plots, used prosthetic makeup to play Bala and Chaman (young men suffering from premature baldness and trying to cope with low self-esteem) respectively.

Though both the teaser and the trailer of the two movies got a lot of positive responses on social media, the battle of the baldies in Bollywood has sparked a new debate.

Is Bollywood finally ready to accept a bald hero? Is bald now beautiful for Bollywood? Is Bollywood going to cast bald actors as ‘heroes’ or will it continue to use made-up baldness to depict ‘premature’ baldness. 

In Hollywood...

The bald actors of Hollywood have proved time and again that it doesn't take thick, styled hair to look sexy. Whether they shave their head or reach an age where they start losing their hair, these actors know how to sport a bald look and yet look their best. The success stories of the bald actors of Hollywood prove that baldness is not a ‘turn off’.

Actors like Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham and Shemar Moore have proved that in Hollywood, bald actors are....

Macho

Dwayne ‘Rock’ Johnson is one of the most popular, successful and highest paid actors of Hollywood. His baldness adds an x-factor to the roles he plays in his movies – mostly action and macho hero.

Sexy

Bald or not bald, Jason Statham is one of the sexiest actors of Hollywood. He was a fashion model before he started his career as an actor and has revolutionised action films for the modern age.

Charismatic

Vin Diesel is an actor, producer and screenwriter who rose to fame with his role in the Fast and Furious franchise. He is undoubtedly one of the most charismatic actors in Hollywood now.

In Bollywood...

Contrary to the counterparts in Hollywood, some of the bald actors of Bollywood have managed to impress everyone with their brilliant acting skills but have never been considered ‘heroes’. Bald actors either opt for hair transplant or are restricted to supporting roles. Bald is definitely not considered beautiful in Bollywood.

Actors such as Anupam Kher, Amrish Puri, Feroz Khan and Dilip Tahil, though some of the finest actors of the Hindi film industry, were restricted to playing:

Villains

Bollywood has had its fair share of bald villains. Characters like Shakaal, Kancha Cheena, Robert, Lajja Shankar were immortalised by actors who sported a bald look to play them.

Fathers

Anupam Kher was only 28 years old when he played a 65-year-old man in the movie Saaransh. Kher later said he had lost his hair at an early age and so for his debut movie, he played the role of a retired, old man at the age of 28. Although he is just nine years older than Shah Rukh Khan, Kher played his father and father-in-law in several movies due to his premature baldness.

Comic Relief

Baldness has also been used to evoke comic relief in Bollywood. In the 80s and early 90s, baldness in supporting actors was made fun of in several movies.

Historical Characters

The leading actors of Bollywood don’t shy away from sporting a bald look when they play historical figures and their roles demand them to do so. Ranveer Singh for Bajirao Mastani and Akshay Kumar for upcoming Houseful 4 looked charming in their bald avatars, but would they dare to sport the same for a movie that does not demand a bald actor? Don’t think so.