All Balram wanted was to escape the poverty that had afflicted his family for generations and to be of help to them. So, when the opportunity to become a driver for a wealthy family came about, he lied to get the job. Yes, Balram had been conniving from the very beginning and also showed traits of being ambitious; however, he was still very aware of his position within the society and of the limits that his caste had imposed on him. He knew that there was so much he could do and so far he could go. And, as a consequence, his highest ambition became that of earning a lifetime position as the official driver to the Shah's family.
So why did he rebel?
The answer is in the cruel system that governs modern-day India. No matter how good you are to your servants, so long you keep a servant, you are still no better than the ones who are bad to theirs.
Pinky and Raj were the perfect examples of benevolent masters. While their patriarch did not hesitate to maltreat Bal at every opportunity he got, Pinky and Raj made Bal believe that he was human and that for that he would be treated with dignity and respect. After all, Pinky told him about the importance of brushing his teeth. A gesture that on the surface might have seemed inconsequential, but which held a great significance for Bal. And so, when Pinky asked him to allow her to drive him, he did not object.
A servant who is conscious of his position would have objected. Driving was not a task that befitted a master. The master must sit at the back seat, while their servants drive them around. But because Pinky and Raj had made Bal believe that they were all one and the same, the latter became quick to trade places with his masters. And he suffered great consequences because of that.
When the evitable happened and a culprit had to be presented to the authorities, guess who was picked? You guessed right.
Because no matter how good Pinky and Raj were to Bal, they basked in their privilege and were willing to sacrifice him to keep enjoying it. The epiphany of how fixed and immutable the system is and of how he couldn't rely on his masters' benevolence to get through in life happened during the weeks in which Bal thought that his life was over and that he would be spending the rest of his life in jail. And gradually he started to rebel.
First, he drove Pinky to the airport knowing full well that he would get in trouble for it. Then he challenged Raj and pushed him to the ground. It had become clear at that point that Bal would never be that servant who was just happy with having masters that treated him well.
Then again, Bal was ambitious. Being a free man wasn't enough either; he wanted to become a master too. He had always coveted that life, that power. The responsibility of knowing that someone depends on your benevolence to live a dignifying life. And so he became one.
Bal promised to become better than his old masters. And we saw towards the end of the movie that he made efforts to be so, but ultimately, he only managed to change his position without minimally scarring the system.
He killed his master.
He condemned his entire family to death.
He bribed the system.
All for what?
All to become like those same masters he loathed. The ones that told their servants "We are all the same", but knew deep down that they were not.
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