Paa - Review

Vidit Bhargava

Rating : *** 1/2

Last week I had been very busy, 18th was the beginning of the exam stress, we had Science Practical that day....20th was SST UT ... 22nd Computer practical... 25th Maths Practical, the long list continues till the 27th when I have my Computer UT, they just don't get over :( , yet last night I got a chance to watch a movie!

Paa was one of the many movies, i didn't watch at the theater last year, it came in the busy season of December where every week a movie was released so I chose to skip the movie. Well now its on DVD and I've got a copy of that!

Auro(Amitabh Bachchan) is an intelligent and witty 12-year-old boy with an extremely rare genetic defect callled progeria. Mentally he is 12 very normal, but physically he looks five times older. In spite of his condition, Auro is a very happy boy. He lives with his mother Vidya (Vidya Balan) who is a gynecologist. Amol Arte (Abhishek Bachchan) is young, progressive and a full-of-ideals politician. He is out to prove to the world that 'politics' is not a bad word. He is a man with a mission. Auro is Amol's son however Vidya conceals this from him. When Auro does learn the truth however, he wishes to go to Delhi with his father. Auro tries to get his mother and father back together but Vidya resists, still hurt by the fact that Amol wanted her to have an abortion when they first found out she was pregnant. Amol realizes his mistake though, and proposes to Vidya, as he is still in love with her. He stays by Auro's side when he finds out that Auro is his son. Auro's health begins to deteriorate as he reaches his 13th birthday, his physical defects catching up. However, he is finally able to reunite his mother and father once again as Vidya gives in to her feelings for Amol and her motherly love for Auro. Auro, succumbing to his disease, dies happy, his last words being "Maa" and "Paa."

So thats the wiki version of the story of Paa, which is no doubt, different. Yes, its no copy to the Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which was one of the reason I didn't want to watch the film.

Paa is one of the rare films where the story doesn't matter much, the screenplay does though! It's only for the screenplay and the great acting by Amitabh Bachchan and Vidya Balan that this movie survives! Amitabh Bachchan as Auro does an extraordinary performance playing a kid, you don't realize until the rolling credits appear that Amitabh Bachchan acted in the film. Paa never fails to touch your heart in the emotional sequences, thanks to Vidya Balan who after Bhool Bhulaiya has done her best in this one! Sprinkled with light comedy, the movie never loses the grip, even though its far too predictable and the climax is "announced" in the first half!

The worst bit comes in the form of casting, where Jaya Bachchan announces the names of each and every crew member! Perhaps I would have left the theater for a walk until that was over! Abhishek Bachchan is the Tata Jaago Re Brand Ambassador, he's playing the neta of our dreams! always working for the benefit of the people. This doesn't work! This ought not to be very obvious, but that's still fine.

The problem with London Dreams was that its story demanded a screenplay of not more than 1 1/2 hours but the movie was dragged to be made into a 2 1/2 long and boring movie, that has happened with the many disasters of last year. Paa doesn't work on that track, its just 2 hrs long and yet gripping!

Music from Ilaiyaraaja (he won the Padma Bhushan today) is good, it blends with the movie well!

Finally, I would still say "Watch the movie" because the acting from Amitabh Bachchan needs to be appreciated and its a very well made film with good music and good screenplay and editing. Add to it the light comedy. Yes, Predictable but still It is surely one of the finest movie!

It's not a copy of Curious Case of Benjamin Button, you can surely have it on home video if you've not seen it in the cinemas!