Hey Balwanth Review: Suhas headlines this situational comedy that blends slapstick humour with emotional depth and a social message
writes Rajeshwari Kalyanam
Hey Balwanth originally Hey Bhagwan is a comedy that relies heavily on situational dialogues, alternating from slapstick to madcap and nonsensical, while adding depth with some emotional drama and a social message.
The film with Suhas in the lead, alongside Shivani Nagaram, is about Krishna, who has always dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur, more specifically taking over his father’s business. He grows up idolising his father Balwanth (Naresh), whom he sees as always busy and flourishing, even while his father never reveals what he does, not until he discovers on his own. His grandmother (Annapurna) is also the reason for his hero worship, as she often tells him how his father gives life to many destitute people.
Suhas’s obsession with his father’s business during his growing-up years, which is contrary to his father’s reluctance, who wishes to see him well educated and employed, is shown in a series of flashback incidents.
Krishna grows up to be an MBA graduate, always with an idea for every self-employed person, whatever the size of the business may be. He meets Mithra (Shivani) as a business consultant for her NGO that helps small businesses. All he’ll breaks loose when he finally gets to see what his father actually does for a living. From desperately wanting to run his father’s business, he ends up wanting to sell it and get rid of it. While trying to find buyers, he meets two warring politicians (Ajay Ghosh and Harshvardhan). What transpires next, and how Babu Mohan — becomes central to the drama that unfolds, forms the rest of the story.
The film Hey Balwanth manages to entertain and gets away with creating humour from an otherwise sensitive social malady without trivialising it and minus vulgarity. This is surely a win for the entire team, especially for Suhas for yet again choosing a good script, Shivani for not disappointing after the Little Hearts win, and Naresh who shines through it all — he leaves you in splits even while tugging at your heart as a doting father yearning for his son’s love. Special mention needs to be made of comedian Sudarshan (Banka, Suhas’s friend). He is spot on with his dialogues and reminds us of Sunil during his prime. Sudarshan carries forward the comedy track with ease in every scene that he is part of.
Director Gopi Atchara and his writing team walk precariously on a tightrope and almost appear to be slipping during a few scenes. But they do manage to find their balance. With a comedy-heavy first half and a narrative-rich second half, they present Hey Balwanth as a wholesome entertainer. Vikas Sagar‘s music — songs and background score — are perfect for the film.
Hey Balwanth has scope for more finesse in the execution of certain scenes and even in the script. The team surely seems to have the skill to deliver more. This lapse that you see in a bunch of scenes leaves Hey Balwanth just short of being an amazing film.
Hey Balwanth Review
Rating: 2.5/5
