Paa Movie Review | Critique

The hall was completely silent when Auro entered the frame. Not a single person made the slightest sound. Including me. I, alongwith, several others were witnessing something of a phenomenon. Amitabh Bachchan-virtually unrecognizable, the famous baritone of his vanished- I sat there bewildered.

Amitabh Bachchan, THE MAN has exemplified the very fact that no CGI, no prosthetics can take away from the character. In this character AB finds a rein, grips it and goes galloping. he becomes the character. Such is AB's performance.

PAA the second outing from director R. Balki is a humorous and emotional take on a 12-year old kid named Auro (played by AB) who is suffering from a rare disease Progeria. It is a condition which makes Auro look like a 12 year old trapped in a body aged about 65. The characters who form the world of Auro are played by Vidya Balan (his mother), Arundhati Naag (his doting granny), Abhishek Bachchan (his father) and a few friends. I don't believe that a critique should emphasise on providing the story to readers. So, my advice, my sincerest advice actually- you need to go see PAA, pronto! It is not without its share of faults, yes. There are cliches and a lot of digressions but overall, the film is a well-balanced product. (albeit with that extremely manipulative ending).

There are some moments which will cause a lump in your throat and also some in which your sides will ache from continuous laughter. Much of the humor is provided by the excellent Prateek Katare who plays Auro's best friend Vishnu. A quirky little character, he delivers lines with furious confidence that generates genuine laughs, not forcefully. Vidya Balan as Auro's mother is spot-on as she delivers one of her finest performances. Her pain resides in her eyes and is almost tangible. Except for once scene where she goes yackety-yak shouting "Just because you gave me your bloody sperm doesn't mean blah-blah-blah".. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat because that piece of gratuituous dialogue took away much of the friction from the confrontation between Abhishek and Vidya.

Arundhati Naag is excellently cast and she is delightful as Auro's granny.

Abhishek Bachchan doesn't do anything different except trying to be too uber cool. No, I am not saying he turns in a ridiculous performmance but that smug look on his face has to go.

The film could have done away with some of the meandering moments like Abhishek's politics. It extends for the most part and overstays its welcome. The music by Illaiyaraja is soothing and varies largely as well. PC Sreeram's cinematography lends to the films lushy and frothy look. And what is with the quick-cuts the editor is obsessed with? It is an interesting device but too quick to jump the gun just defeats the fun.

So, that leaves us with the Big B. AB is the heart and soul of this film turninng in what can be best described as a text-book performance that film students will be happy to do the anatomy of. There are many reasons to prove that AB is God and PAA is just one of them. Make room Pacinos and De Niros, for when AB cometh, you better give him his space.

PAA deserves to be watched because some of the spectacular performances and also because the disesase is not the centroid of this film. If you take the Progeria factor out, Auro is the same mischievious boy whom you sat next to in school. PAA is good....just not the great film it aims to be

Still, it deserves a watch. AB fans have all the right reasons to celebrate.

Rating - ***

Written By Gyandeep Pattanayak