Powerful

Brilliant and touching

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

If Bollywood movies are to be believed, life in India is just one long song-and-dance routine, replete with swirling colors and dazzling costumes. And it matters not whether the subject be comedy, drama, romance, politics, poverty or - as in the case of "Paa" - Progeria, an incurable genetic disorder that causes a person to age at an alarmingly accelerated rate, so that a mere child will have the appearance and body of an octogenarian before hitting puberty (think of it as Benjamin Button in reverse). It is a condition that invariably ends in premature death around the age of thirteen. Such is the fate facing Auro (an adult Amitabh Bachchan in prosthetic makeup), a bright and spunky twelve-year-old boy with the physical condition and ailments common to a man in his 80s. Auro is plucked from relative obscurity when the newly elected MP (Abhishek Bachchan) takes a liking to him – only to discover that Auro is his very own son whom he abandoned years ago when his girlfriend, Vidya (Vidya Balan), became pregnant and led him to believe she was going to have an abortion.Like many Bollywood productions, "Paa" suffers from excessive length, an overabundance of sentimentality, and a too-cheery disposition towards the vicissitudes and hardships of life – and, of course, the seemingly insatiable need for the aforementioned musical numbers. However, in this instance at least, saner heads seem to have prevailed, since such scenes are kept to a reasonable minimum, even though the running time of 136 minutes is still far too long for the story it has to tell. The movie, written and directed by R Balki, also can't entirely resist the temptation to make Auro an object of humor (though not of ridicule), and it really turns on the waterworks as it heads to its predestined tragic conclusion.All that being said, "Paa" has moments of genuine originality and charm, and its subject matter itself is so unusual and compelling that many of its imperfections can be readily forgiven.

'Paa' may be very loosely inspired by 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' and 'Jack' but the only resemblance is that the Benjamin character is born old (while he ages backwards) and that the Jack character also suffers from progeria. 'Paa' is very much its own film (at least I hope it's original) and it's better than Balki's previous movie 'Cheeni Kum'.What I liked about it most were the scenes that involved Auro, Vidya and Bum. They were very believable as a family. Vidya's and Bum's unconditional love for their son and grandson, respectively, shines on screen.Vidya Balan is remarkable as Auro's devoted mother. Arandathi Nag is very likable as Auro's grandmother, bum. Abhishek Bachchan is okay at best. Paresh Rawal brigns some comic relief but this time the humour that he brings is rather subtle which is a welcome change. Finally, Amitabh Bachchan steals the show as the twelve year old child struggling in the body of a seventy year old.On the flip side, the subplots regarding Amol's political career are boring and poorly handled. The sequences near the end are a little melodramatic and overdone (though it's not as bad as it was in 'Cheeni Kum'). At the same time it also a little.There are only a few songs but they are quite nice. The song that plays during the closing credits, sung by Amitabh Bachchan, is superb. The 'hichky' track and 'Uri Uri' are quite pleasant too. The execution is simplistic but good enough. The sets are decent. I liked how homely and cosy Auro's house looks.'Paa' is a decent watch and is mostly likable for the characters and Vidya Balan and Amitabh Bachchan's performance.

Here we have a movie again with Abishek Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan. This time in a very rare story, at least that is what is told in the commercial. Abishek plays the father and Amitabh plays the son. At first sight everything seems to be very interesting. In Bollywood it's a hype to make a movie about topics that are generally avoided.So what can go wrong about this movie? Everything! The movie is so boring. Amitabh Bachchan gives his most boring performance ever. His voice and the way he talks are very annoying. His stupid monkey dance was totally unnecessary.The story was worked out very bad. Was this a kids movie with Amitabh doing the stupid monkey dance or was this a mature movie with all the political ideas that kids would not understand? I think this movie is more for teenagers, who are with one foot in their youth and one foot in their adulthood.Then there was this line a lady sang during the movie. Something with Ittefaq or whatsoever. What was this annoying! The same line was repeated again, and again and again... and again... And if that was not the worst, suddenly a man came up singing the same line! At the beginning of the movie you know Auro is going to die and that it will be a Bollywood tear jerker. So the end is not a surprise. A little girl comes at Auro's bed and talks to him. After the talking there is a beautiful moment between Auro and his mother watching Auro's father. This was excellent done! But that moment got disturbed by the little girl whose clumsiness wakes you out of your dream.Was the movie in overall bad? Yes. But there were some good stuff about this movie too. Vidya Balan is a very beautiful woman who shows that women can be independent. The bodyguard in the train who tried to do the stupid monkey dance acted very naturally.What I did not understand is that the movie starts not with Auro, but his parents meeting each other. The movie sure ends with Auro. Why? What happens with Amol and Vidya? What happens with Amol's career?

R Balki directs 'Paa', a film I was very interested to watch. At first, the promos did not impress me and I expected to see a pretentious film at best, but the positive reviews and several recommendations made me finally catch this one. The film was a pleasant surprise: nice and simple, but somehow I still expected something else. R Balki did a very good job in terms of both writing and direction. The film's story is well-written and told, the execution is steady, and the dialogues are witty and light. But at some point I did feel that something was missing there. Don't know what. Maybe something in the portrayal of Auro's relationship with his mother could have been better done, though I liked how Balki portrayed his friendship with school kids, particularly a boy named Vishnu.Bachchan's casting in the role of Auro, which created a lot of buzz and curiosity pre-release, was brave and bold, but frankly speaking, it would have been more interesting to see a child actor playing Auro. I say that while considering the many young talents in the industry who could have easily been suitable for the part. Bachchan is somewhat overly tall for the role and since all of us know Auro is played by the great Amitabh Bachchan, it reduces the level of credibility in the film's authenticity, and many may feel it was made to showcase his greatness and to evoke such reactions as "wow! He plays his son's son!"But Bachchan does not disappoint. He manages to make Auro a likable character with his under-toned line delivery, expressive eyes and simplicity. A lesser actor of his age could have played the role in an overly childish manner with exaggerated mannerisms and noticeable attempts to overdo and emphasise the character's young age and disease symptoms. But not Bachchan. Hardly recognisable under this heavy mask of make-up, he naturally transforms into a little, intelligent kid of our times and is thoroughly convincing.Abhishek Bachchan, playing his real-life father's father is strictly okay in a role that is not very deep or demanding but still contributes to the film significantly. Vidya Balan is excellent as Vidya, the caring and loving mother who is also an assertive and independent career woman. Balan acts with grace and restraint and she is natural and compelling throughout. And she is absolutely stunning in her traditional Indian looks. Arudhati Nag is fine and effective as Vidya's supportive mother. The child who plays Auro's best friend Vishnu is simply adorable. I particularly liked a scene in which Auro and Vishnu have a phone conversation, and Vishnu sharply criticises his father. That was hilarious!Coming to the music, Ilayaraja composes a lovely, classical and joyful soundtrack for the film which gives it a very light and feel-good mood. The editing and the cinematography are well-done. Towards the end, 'Paa' is a bit emotional. It neither made me shiver nor tear, but it still was efficient and moving. I recommend you to watch 'Paa' with family or friends. Do not plan to either hate or love it. If you watch the film trying to ignore this wow factor, you will definitely enjoy it and will probably be able to appreciate Balki's efforts to make a lightly dramatic episode about one young boy and his relationships rather than a socially educative film on progeria. Just enjoy this witty, interesting and refreshing piece.