Paa

Imagine this. R Balki arrives with his second film after Cheeni Kum (2007), starring Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Paresh Rawal and introducing a twelve-year old child actor. We do not know this kid, although it is possible that he impresses us all after we see him perform. But does this essentially guarantee a bumper opening for the movie? Can we safely assume that the audience will come into the theatres? Now, take this. The entire cast and crew remains the same. And although it is indeed possible to find an immensely talented child artist and create the desired character using prosthetic make-up and voice modulation, the director decides to cast Amitabh Bachchan as the child. And he calls the film Paa. The result is for us to see, in the form of one of the most smartly promoted films of our time. This is what we call star power. This is what I admire about the phenomenon of a superstar. And this is what this film uses in the best possible way.

The film also uses the personality, and not the acting, of Abhishek Bachchan to create a gen-next politician, and we connect. It uses Vidya Balan to portray a strong, independent, modern Indian woman, and most importantly – a mother; and we connect. And it utilizes the human curiosity for the weird, our tendency to look at 'freaks' with wide eyes and held breaths, and converts that 'freak' into a warm, lovable and memorable character called Auro, and takes us into his world. It uses songs, melodrama and the Bollywood cliché to tell a story. It relies on the time-tested formula of emotional manipulation and succeeds in making the audience cry. It has decent production values, is marketed smartly and sold at cheap rates. The result is not a great, timeless, flawless piece of art. The result is a film that knows how to use the illusion of the medium. The result is a movie that moves.

The best thing about Paa is that it knows what it is doing. It does not claim to be 'socially relevant', and does not ask us to leave our brains home before coming to the theatres. Instead it asks us to bring our brains, our hearts, our entire selves, not excluding the 'curiosity for the weird' that we all have but fail to accept. It treats itself as a film for everyone, and successfully creates an entertaining cinema experience. In its attempt, it often gets inconsistent, but it never seems uncertain. It is an innovation, and yes, that it is, which is sure of itself, including how to sell itself. It is an innovation that does not go wasted, and that is indeed an achievement in the Hindi film scenario of today.

It has been a few decades now and Hindi cinema is desperately in the need for revival. For that to happen, if it ever happens, we need socially relevant cinema, we need cinema as works of art, we even need cinema with an international appeal, and with the guts to experiment . But what we need most is innovative ideas, true to Hindi cinema sensibility and tradition, not necessarily great in the absolute cinema-sense, but films which make people come, watch and connect. We need more films like Paa. I have no idea about how it is going to fare at the box-office. If it is a commercial success, my point would be proved beyond doubt. If it fails, well, I will try my best not to lose hope.

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This, I must admit is one of those movies, not made very often. Watching it is obviously a delight. It is a cocktail of emotions, love, pity, hopefulness and well, hopelessness, and everything more. The acting of course is quite brilliant, Amitabh and Abhishek did wonderfully. Vidya Balan too, fits quite well into her roll. The rest of the roles too are quite well handled. Nice, simple, predictable, but nonetheless interesting plot. A genius and rare script, wont allow you to get bored, even for a moment. The comedy too is quite well done, sort of rare, considering contemporary. It will permit you to laugh, even in front of the most innocent of your relatives. The music score, maybe not big, is in a way befitting. Overall, I would say, it probably is not a must-watch, but definitely a worth-watch. It surely will bless you with a rich experience. And a piece of advice, relatives would be a rather more convenient company for this one.

I had zero expectations from Paa. I was not that interested, but thought to give it a chance after knowing that Mr.Bachchan is playing a 12-year old kid.

'Paa' is a different film, it's a film that caters to a niche audience. Sure, it dares to be different, but again 'Paa' is meant for those who are tired for non-stop non-sense fares.

Pluses of the film: Fresh Stoyline, plus execution. R.Bali should be applauded for making an attempt like Paa. Note-worthy Performances: Mr.Bachchan as Auro, natural to the core. Plus, he's blessed with amazing make-up. Abhishek is excellent, especially in the second hr. Vidya is in form after a long, long time. Paresh Rawal is superb. There is a hilarious sequence when asks Abhishek weather he's gay not, Only Paresh can do this stuff. The actress who plays Vidya's mom & the kid who plays Auro's best friend stand out. Jaya Bachchan does a unique appearance at the very start of the film.

Minuses of the film: It's a really Slow-Pace film. The first hr is boring. Abhishek's political portions don't work. The first hr really puts you off.

On the whole... 'Paa' deserves a watch for it's note-worthy performances & Fresh Storyline.

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.

For once, I was entering a Hall with the assurance that the movie I was about to watch was something ORIGINAL, something not copied from the West. And so, OBVIOUSLY, my expectations were low. You never know what you can expect from an original Bachchan movie! The credits began, and Jaya Bachchan could be heard individually pronouncing each name (the cast, the team behind the movie), and slowly, by the time she reached "Writer and Director", you wished her to stop. And then, in a magical tone, she says "Paa!", laughing along, and a soothing tone fills your ear and heart... and you know, yes, this is going to be a good show.

Paa has its moments that touch you, that move you, that make you laugh, that make you feel warm, that make you happy... etc etc. There are moments that are supposed to make you cry... but they don't. I guess that's where Paa fails. Amitabh Bachchan in the lead role delivers a sweet performance, and Abhishek is seen trying very hard to fit in. Vidya sort of stumbles out of her "Vidya" character. The music of the movie is simple. The end credits song sung by Amitabh Bachchan was one amazing track. Even "Hitchki" was nice. The direction and flow was simple, though the cuts between Auro's waiting and Amol's political moves were rather jerky. The cinematography was simple and fulfilling, though the editing required spicing up.

In the end, definitely go watch Paa. I was disappointed to find only 15 had come for the first day first show... me being one. It's films like these that should be more prevalent. In contrast, if Kambakkht Ishq was a HIT, then in that case this should be a BLOCKBUSTER. Sadly, I know that will not be the case.

7/10.