Vidya Balan and Abhishek Bachchan promote Paa as a couple

Auro, a 13-year-old genetically disordered child, suffering from progeria, contentedly lives with his mother and grandmother. Life gets somewhat complicated when a politician visits his school and Auro discovers the new age neta is actually his dad. Does the estranged family come together? It's... More

Auro, a 13-year-old genetically disordered child, suffering from progeria, contentedly lives with his mother and grandmother. Life gets somewhat complicated when a politician visits his school and Auro discovers the new age neta is actually his dad. Does the estranged family come together? It's not any and every 67-year-old actor who can enter the shoes of a pre-adolescent, without looking and sounding awkward and silly. Amitabh Bachchan not only captures the essence of the gawky, geeky, god-he's-different teenager with great skill, he creates a whole new benchmark for an actor to experiment, innovate ad reinvent himself when the career graph seems to plateau. The actor looks different (almost unrecognisable as E.T.'s country cousin), talks different (with a slight nasal twang), moves different (an awkward shuffle that breaks into the Auro dance) and emotes different (mostly through his be-spectacled eyes). End result? Paa is an experience that works, only because it is so different. The film opens with a somewhat static and diffused first half that lights up intermittently, when Auro is around. Wonder why it takes so long to come to the point....Having been given an award in school by the young, upcoming, friendly neighbourhood neta (Abhishek Bachchan), Auro sends single mom, Vidya Balan into flashback mode. That's because the neta fathered her child and left her to tackle the unwanted pregnancy because he wanted to change the world. Vidya, the archetypal woman of substance, not only carried her pregnancy through, she lovingly nurtured her child after discovering he had a genetic disorder that was causing him to age prematurely. Between them, Vidya and her mother (impressive Arundhati Naag) built a loving and normal world around the young boy who loved King Kong, computers, mirchi and hated kichdi. Trouble begins when Auro unknowingly befriends his dad and requests him for a visit to Rashtrapati Bhawan. Time for some home truths to be told, confessions to be made, repentance to be done and wrongs to be righted. Before time runs out... The film, which peters off into vague sub-plots about slum redevelopment and unwarranted media-bashing in the first half, suddenly picks up and scales new heights in the second half. It's here that Auro and his antics prevail as he tries to rebuild his family and establish his bond with his newfound daddy. Almost each and every relationship he shares is imbued with a warm glow: be it that with his `bum' (grandmum), his mum, his best buddy, his favourite bugbear (that special girl in class). But it is his interactions with his dad which truly touch your heart. Refreshingly, the film steers clear of all sentimentality and handles the overflow of emotions with restraint and subtlety. All you feel are a few gentle tugs at your heart, as Auro insists on making you laugh most of the time with his witty one-liners on life, love and longing. Watch out for a lilting music score by Ilaiyaraaja, some picturesque cinematography by PC Sreeram, a chuckle-and-laugh screenplay and some fine acting. While Abhishek brings to life the young, uncorrupt neta who speaks straight and acts upfront, Vidya Balan proves her mettle once again as the strong, desi, alpha woman, a la Parineeta. But Paa is primarily a platform for Auro to steal your heart away. He does. And no, he isn't a desi Benjamin Button. Less

Duration 2:14   |  

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