PAA – Truly redeeming…..an excellent piece of work!
- Savio Zacharia
For years bollywoood has synchronized well with the use of the word ‘maa’ and its stereotypes in all forms. Now, R.Balki returns after ‘Cheeni Kum’ with a big bang using all his creative ad skills to bring forth the ‘Paa’ quotient and indeed he does an excellent job.
‘Paa’ is definitely not a ‘Progeria’ film as many would like to call ‘Taare Zameen Par’ a ‘Dyslexia’ film. ‘Paa’ has roots much deeper and emphasizes the essence of a child’s life and the heart rendering experience of growing up with him irrespective of his physical appearance or disabilities. All the more the movie works real well as it urges men to take up responsibility and celebrate fatherhood in an era where live-in’s and abortions are the ‘IN’ thing.
Not much can be said about the synopsis as it may hamper the excitement of viewing the film. Nevertheless, the movie draws on the line of relationships and depicts a single mother trying to raise her ‘progeria’ affected lad. Fate makes him encounter his dad and things begin to stir up…
To begin with, hats off to Balki for having the guts to even imagine of doing such a film that too with Amitabh playing the role of ‘Auro’. Balki has penned a really simple , heart rendering tale and doesn’t beat around the bush to drive the point home. The movie takes off perfectly with the encounter of Amitabh n Abhishek’s politician character in the very first scene.
Further, Balki’s screenplay fantastically introduces you to ‘Auro’ and his world . Be it the gorilla mannequin on the wall , the Jackie chan posters or furthermore his mom –Vidya and Grandmom (Arundhati Naag) whom he calls “BUM’. Balki pays close attention to the minutest of things, be it the caution note on Auro’s door or the Kichidi element which he further connects very well in the film.
Another commendable element is that Balki brings out the best from his actors. Before I move to the big names , let’s take a close look at some other characters in the film. If Balki connected you to the life of a cancer suffering small girl (Sweeney Khare) in ‘Cheeni Kum’ ; here too he brings out the best of the kids right from the bunch of boy(Auro’s friends )to the little girl running behind Auro.
But the most striking of the lot was the cute little boy with specs-‘vishnu’ played by Pratik. Man, he makes you laugh and think. Starting from his take on algebra , to expressing that he wants to learn dance , to his dialogue about ‘suicide’ ; he puts you in splits.
Now , for obvious reasons ‘Paa’ belongs to ‘Auro’-the new hero for every kid; Mr.Bachchan has proved his versatility once again as he moves from the ‘angry young man’ longing for ‘maa’ in ‘Deewar’ to the cute, cuddly, sensible ‘Auro’ in ‘paa’. Right from the body language to the trademark ‘gorilla ‘move and dialogue delivery , he’s stunning.
Vidya Balan too brings in her best since ‘Parineeta’ and is highly convincing as a loving mom. The mother – son relationship is cute.
Abhiskek also impresses as the politician and since ‘Guru’-this is his best. The scene involving his media encounter and the unveiling of the media barons is an amazing scene. Nevertheless, his politician angle stretches the movie in bits and pieces.
Paresh Rawal doesn’t get much scope but does ok. His dialogue sequence towards the penultimate portion of the film in the hospital seems wasted.
Arundhati Naag is simply fantastic as ‘BUM’ and plays a vital role in establishing the emotional connect.
The editing of the film is sleek and PC Sreeram’s cinematography is splendid. Simple and well captured beautiful shots.
Music by Illayaraja is absolutely soulful especially the theme which stirs you up each time to the tune of the violin and of course ‘Mudi Mudi’. The songs are few and cut short which comes as a blessing.
Out and out , a must watch for every family. Welcome ‘Auro’-the new name for kids to love and his trademark move is sure to be seen in all schools.
Rating: 4/5
Popularity: 100% [?]
