Hari Shukla - A Bollywood father with a difference

Meet Hari Shukla from Bala (2019)

Hari Shukla from Kanpur made his Ranji debut long back and sadly had to retire hurt for 3 in what remained his only stint at that level. While we are never told whether the injury that caused him to retire hurt was career-ending in nature, we do see in him a man who is hurt but proud of what he achieved, even if people around him don’t understand the gravity of it. Mind you, making it to the Ranji Team of one of the country’s most populous state is no mean feat. But the public apathy towards sports in the country means there is little respect for feats like these.

Besides, having never been given a chance after his first match also hints at a rather unfair and unfortunate turn of events for Shukla’s career. But the genial Hari Shukla doesn’t seem bitter about it and is still in love with cricket. In fact, when, in one of the scenes, his son Bala refuses to acknowledge that he nicked the ball and gets into a fight with the neighbours while playing gully cricket, Hari chides him by saying, “Cricket khel rahe ho ya wrestling kar rahe ho?” In other words, he’s saying to Bala, “That’s not cricket.”

But his love for the sport is not what sets him apart from other fathers in Bollywood. What sets him apart instead is his empathy. Despite not exactly succeeding in achieving his cricket dreams, he doesn’t stop his sons from following their pursuits. While on one hand, he can be seen training his younger son for a career in cricket, on the other, he asks his elder son, who is trying his hand at a rather risky career option of stand-up comedy along with a day job, to follow his dreams. At the cost of being taunted for his lack of success, he tells his frustrated son on the breakfast table, “Ye hoor-langoor ki marketing me kuch nahi rakha beta. Artist aadmi ho. Passion follow karo.” How many fathers have we seen in Bollywood who would say that? Moreover, how many fathers, in reality, would be able to say that to their kids with a dream of making a career in stand-up?

There are more layers to the man’s character which come to the fore when his son blames him and his bad genes for his ordeals. Bala, who is suffering from an early onset of male patterned baldness as well as diabetes, is angry that despite Rakesh Roshan being bald, Hrithik has an impressive covering on his head. He even goes on to question his father’s achievements in life by ending his diatribe with a taunt about his sole Ranji appearance.

Once again, Hari shows great restraint and doesn’t let his hurt translate into anger. In fact, understanding his son’s frustrations, he goes on to find a solution for it, even if a temporary one. And in one of the cutest gestures, gifts his son a wig. While acknowledging his son’s disappointment about having to wear fake hair, he says, “Dekho beta hum jaante hai tumhe asli baal chahiye. Magar asli or asliyat ka zyada mel hota nahi hai zindagi me.” One wonders if that’s a comment he’s making about his son’s ordeals or his own inability to achieve lofty ambitions that have left him a ghar jamai for the past three decades?

But Shukla isn’t a fraud. Though he does ask Bala to wear a wig so that he doesn’t face unnecessary ridicule from the society, he doesn’t want his son to lie about it to his life partner. The first question he is shown asking to him after the marriage is fixed is whether he told the girl the truth about his hair or not? He foresees the problems it can lead to and scolds him for not telling her the complete truth.

Hari Shukla isn’t a success story by the societal definition of the word. But he is a sweet and sensitive father who is empathetic and supportive of his child’s dreams. The world would have been a better place if more men were raised by fathers like him.