Released this week in Delhi-U.P. and East Punjab, Soham Rockstar Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.’s Bal Naren is the inspiring story of how a four-year-old child becomes the torch-bearer of cleanliness in a village after the demise of his father due to dengue.
Virendra (Padam Bhola) is elected Janaki village’s sarpanch in 2013 but he dies soon thereafter due to dengue. In 2014, the new government announces a cleanliness programme under the name and style of Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan. Virendra’s four-year-old school-going kid, Bal Naren, takes a fancy to the programme and, with the help of his friends, starts educating people in the school and the village about the advantages of keeping the surroundings clean.
In 2020, Bal Naren (Yagya Bhasin) starts a tea stall and, with its earnings, buys dustbins for the village. He also puts up a water harvesting filter plant in the village. After some days, Dr. Siddharth (Rajniesh Duggal) comes to Janaki village (from where he hails) from the city. He is armed with the knowledge about the impending Coronavirus outbreak. How Bal Naren and Dr. Siddharth save their village from the deadly Coronavirus forms the crux of the story.
Clearly, story writer Pawan K.K. Nagpal’s inspiration is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s life story. Since the PM’s life is an open book, there is not much novelty in that sense. The screenplay, penned by Umang Saxena and Pawan K.K. Nagpal, is good at places but becomes too propagandist at other places. In other words, the thrill and excitement of a commercial fare are often missing. Also, it often seems unbelievable that a child can so easily accomplish so much! The duo’s dialogues are appealing.
Yagya Bhasin does a very fine job in the title role. Rajniesh Duggal is good as Dr. Siddharth. Bidita Bag is fair in the role of Naren’s mother, Aaradhya. Govind Namdeo lends fine support as Sundar Bhan. Lokesh Mittal is ordinary as Sundar Bhan’s son, Suraj. Vindu Dara Singh passes muster in the role of Nakul. Master Harshul (as Cheena), master Ariyant (as Gannu), master Dev Jindal (as Raghu) and baby Aaradhya Malhotra (as Nitya) provide average support. Sahil Seth (as Dr. Ravi), Suhaani Dahiya (as reporter Trisha), master Ayan Chanana (as the four-year-old Naren) and Padam Bhola (as Naren’s father, Virendra) lend routine support.
Pawan K.K. Nagpal’s direction is ordinary. Manisha Sahriya’s music is alright. Lyrics are so-so. Amar Mohile’s background music ought to have been better. Pratap Rout’s camerawork is functional. Sikender Khan’s production designing hardly deserves separate mention. Rajendra Bhatt’s editing could’ve been sharper.
On the whole, Bal Naren is a film with good intentions but it does not have commercial potential. Its poor promotion and dull opening are also minus points.