Paa is one of the most anticipated films of the year due to several reasons
- Paa is directed by R Balki who directed the critically acclaimed Cheeni Kum (2007).
- Amitabh Bachchan as Auro, suffering from a rare premature aging disease called Progeria.
- Abhishek playing father and Vidya Balan mother to Amitabh Bachchan in the film.
With expecatations of a classic, Paa co-produced by Amitabh Bachchan’s home-production AB Corp on a budget of 14.75 crores, also stars Paresh Rawal and has music composed by Ilaiyaraja.
About Progeria
Progeria is a very rare (one in 8 million) genetic condition, with the most visible symptom being aggressive aging. The disease is terminal and those suffering from Progeria on an average live for about 12 – 13 years.
Other visible symptoms of the disease include wrinkled skin, fragile bodies with a large head, abnormal growth and loss of hair. Currently there are close to 100 known patients worldwide suffering from the disease and 10 of them are from India.
Story
Paa isn’t about the illness but more about a boy (Auro – Amitabh Bachchan) and his family. Auro is a 13 year old suffering from Progeria. Mentally he is his age but physically looks like a 70 year old man. He lives with his mother Vidya (Vidya Balan), who is a doctor. His father Amol (Abhishek Bachchan) is a politician. The movie is about their relationship, struggles, emotions and a lot more.
The review will be short, revealing much would kill your Paa experience. Wait for the more detailed “Best Scenes in Paa” article after the weekend.
Paa Review
Paa is a well written and directed film, with adequate amount of emotions, fun and fabulous performances. The second half is brilliant with enough in it to keep you hooked. But the film suffers from a comparatively weaker first half. The pre interval portions deal with Abhishek’s political career and his rivalries, not exactly what you expect while walking in with expectations of a touching father-son tale.
But the second half more than makes up for it and its this half that makes Paa a tremendously satisfying watch. Watch out for the tear-inducing sequences involving Auro and also those light hearted moments all of which are written, executed and performed to perfection.
The music is average. The ‘Mere Paa’ track is good. The makeup by (Domini Till, Christien Tinsley) deserve special mention for turning Bachchan into a realistic looking Progeria patient.
Coming to the performances, Amitabh Bachchan delivers inarguably the best performance of the year. While I would still rate Black a notch higher, Paa is pure brilliance from a legend who is by far the best actor in the industry. Abhishek Bachchan is good, and so are Vidya Balan and Paresh Rawal. But the senior Bachchan’s character is such that it easily out shines the others.
Overall, Paa had potential to be a much better film than it turned out to be. Watch it for the powerful second half and an award worthy performance by the legendary Bachchan.
Rating: 
Box office
The business should be best at multiplexes and since the costs are low, Paa should recover its investment in a week or two. Universal acceptance like Taare Zameen Par is unlikely.