From Vicky Donor to Badhaai Ho, Ayushmann Khurrana has made us lose count of the number of times he did the unconventional on screen. With Bala, we expected nothing less. So when the film’s teaser released, we knew we were in for another fun journey.
Helmed by Stree director Amar Kaushik, and co-starring Yami Gautam & Bhumi Pednekar, Bala revolves around a man, played by Ayushmann, who is unable to find love because of premature balding. Earlier too, we’ve had films showing actors bald for various reasons. Ahead of Bala, let’s take a look at movies that have starred actors sporting the bald look.
1. Ranveer Singh (Bajirao Mastani)
We all know Ranveer Singh is a perfectionist when it comes to playing his roles. As an actor, he has never shied away from experimenting and challenging himself. Hence, when he had to play the role of 18th century Maratha general and statesman Bajirao Peshwa in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani, Ranveer went ahead and shaved off his head to look as authentic as he could. He also used to insist on tonsuring his head every morning so that the continuity of the film wasn’t affected. That’s some dedication!
2. Priyanka Chopra (Mary Kom)
Priyanka Chopra played the role of Olympic bronze medallist boxer M.C. Mary Kom in Omung Kumar’s Mary Kom. For one of the scenes in the film, Priyanka had to go bald and used prosthetics for the same. In an interview, she said that she wouldn’t hesitate to shave off her head if the script requires her to do so.
“First of all, I am an actor, so as an actor it is my responsibility that whatever character I take up I do it with honesty. This is always my personal challenge that I set for myself, that how differently I can portray all my characters. So I was not at all hesitant, in fact I was very excited,” she told India Today.
3. Anushka Sharma & Ranbir Kapoor (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil)
For the Karan Johar directorial, actors Anushka Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor had to sport a bald look, and it was done with the use of prosthetics and make-up. Since the look was required for only a small part of the film, the actors chose not to shave their head and go with make-up instead. Anushka Sharma’s character, Alizeh, develops cancer and hence loses all her hair. To support her, Ranbir’s character, who is in love with Alizeh, also shaves his head off.
4. Amitabh Bachchan (Paa)
When it comes to dedication to one’s role, no one can beat Amitabh Bachchan. He looked totally unrecognizable in the 2009 film Paa. Paa is one of the best examples of the brilliant use of prosthetics in Bollywood. The film shows Auro (Amitabh Bachchan) suffering from Progeria, a rare genetic condition that causes him to age fast. It used to take 3-4 hours for Big B to put on prosthetics forthe role and the same amount of time to remove it after the shoot. The role even got him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor and deservedly so.
5. Shahid Kapoor (Haider)
Vishal Bhardwaj has always brought out the best in Shahid Kapoor, be it with Kaminey or Haider. And Shahid, too, has given his hundred percent to his roles. So when he was required to go bald for Haider, the actor didn’t even think twice. Hilariously, minutes after he announced on Twitter that he would be shaving his head for the role, #DontGoBaldShahid started trending.
In an interview with News18 he said, “I don't have any apprehensions. You as an actor have to do it when it’s required in the script. We all felt it is required so I am fine with it.”
6. Sanjay Dutt (Agneepath)
Sanjay Dutt was seen in a never-seen-before avatar in Dharma Productions’ Agneepath. Essaying the negative role of Kancha Cheena, Sanjay had to look like a baddie for the film. And so he did! Initially, he had refused to shave off his hair as he had other films lined up, but due to the intense heat in Diu, Sanjay had no option but to go bald.
“I had put on this prosthetic make-up for my character in the film, it used to melt within an hour due to the heat. The temperature was around 48 degrees. We had called this make-up artist from abroad, I used to go mad in that hot temperature. So I thought I better shave off my hair,” he told Indian Express.
7. Aamir Khan (Ghajini)
Aamir Khan is called Mr Perfectionist for a reason, and he proved that when he went bald for his role in Ghajini. He sported a crew cut with scars on his head and it became a rage soon after. However, Aamir didn’t stop at just that. He even turned a barber, and gave people the same haircut as his, as part of the film’s promotions.
“Quite a lot of people are getting this Ghajini haircut from various places, so I thought I will give the cut to some of my fans myself. I felt very light when I got it done - there was no need to comb my hair after the bath,” said Aamir to Hindustan Times.
8. Rajkummar Rao (Bose)
Rajkummar Rao too went the extra mile for his role as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in AltBalaji’s web series Bose. He went half bald for the series directed by Hansal Mehta. The actor had taken to Twitter to share the new haircut.
"Got a hair cut done for #Bose. We'll soon put out the first look as Bose. Until then, these are the post hair cut pictures. Thank you @AalimHakim” he wrote alongside two pictures of him wearing a maroon t-shirt and glasses like that of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
9. Rishi Kapoor (102 Not Out)
Be it Kapoor and Sons or 102 Not Out, Rishi Kapoor is no stranger to sporting the bald look on screen. In order to look like his 70-year-old half-bald character in 102 Not Out, Rishi Kapoor had to sit through seven hours of make-up every day. He would walk in at 5 am, and complete the shoot which would go on till 9 pm at times.
“Rishi ji, who plays a 70-year-old character, would feel extremely hot in the bald cap. Whenever he removed it, and I am not exaggerating, it looked like he was sweating by the glass. He had to wear that cap for at least 12 hours every day,” film’s director Umesh Shukla revealed.
10. Arjun Rampal (Ra.One)
Arjun Rampal too sported a bald look for his role as the bad guy in Ra.One. Standing one’s ground in front of Shah Rukh Khan is no easy thing, but with his impressive looks as Ra.One, Arjun managed to do that. Along with shaving off his hair, the actor had to undergo heavy physical training for his role and also sported a temporary tattoo on his chest.
Dropping a hint prior to the release of the film, Arjun wrote on Twitter, “Feeling light headed, no pun intended. Thanks to the director producer, can’t give out too much.”