The plot is predictable, more so the end and especially if you have bothered to look up "progeria" on Wiki. It has holes, is unbelievable in parts, sheds some unwanted light on unneeded details and can be, on the whole, termed inconsistent which, under normal circumstances and also given Balki, the writer-director's past track record (he seems to have a fetish for Big B in abnormal roles - remember Cheeni Kum?), is a perfect recipe for disaster. For some odd reason, Paa isn't one. And while it isn't exactly a gem, it has just about enough going for it.
So Amitabh Bachchan is too tall even when it comes to fully grown adult roles. The camera-work need to be out of the world in order to be convincing - sadly, it's not. And those of you expecting to see some tricks out of Appu Raja's book (remember Kamal Hassan's dwarf act?) will be disappointed. Then we have the unnecessary political details that are conveniently forgotten later in the film, which might be considered by some as a blessing in disguise, given that the politico-media rhetoric is not well done at all (a dynamic young MP from Uttar Pradesh who happens to be from a political family which may or may not be holier than thou - surprise!) Inclusion of some form of political commentary seems to have become a filmmaker's benchmark of sorts and Balki fails miserably on this count, since it is obvious he could not decide what he exactly wanted to portray - the rise, fall and subsequent rise of an over-idealistic Amol (Abhishek) all of which happens within a very short span of time, doubts regarding his father's wealth and thereby honesty (thus questioning the foundation of Abhishek's 'politics is not a dirty world') or a snapshot of the sleazy reality and the associated cynicism fuelled by the opportunistic media. Also, if strained personal equations take time to heal, public perception and the media's stance does not switch overnight either.
Then we have Vidya Balan - now here's another actress who looks gorgeous but cannot act to save her life. Worse, she chooses to reprise a role from a film which owes its success to the humour, not to her wooden act (I'm obviously talking about Hey Babyy here) - the angry, young and unforgiving single mother who will obviously relent at the very end. End result - she reaffirms the faith reposed in her by her critics. The latter part of the second half where she is required to emote and hams every time she tries to do so is a pain and takes away the good memories of the part leading up till then.
So what's good? Well, Amitabh owns! Leave alone the height issue, and what we have here is a gem of a performance - the make-up not only helped in disguising him, but also enabled him to deliver the dialogues in an almost perfect child-like accent (I say almost perfect because you just know that it is Mr. Bachchan - which is hardly surprising given that his is one of the most easily recognizable voices). Every scene with him in it, inevitably cracking a smart-Alec comment or two, or behaving only like a school-kid does is a gem, so much so that the second half seems to drag only because all the melodrama hardly ever gets Auro involved directly.
His weird dance might seem repetitive after a few times, but as far as Auro's wisecracks go, while a few of them may have been a bit too mature for a 13-year-old, most of them are the kind of things a middle school-goer would say - and it's the way that they're said that seals it. Abhishek, in spite of a somewhat weakly written and insufficient role, performs adequately, as do the supporting actors Paresh Rawal and especially Arundathi Nag as "Bum" (watch it to find out why). Overall, the first half is a breeze while the second half drags - and while the music is nice, the later songs seem to have been force-fed into the scheme of things - but that's alright.
Granted, that there are many chinks in the armour - and as a viewer, you should keep that in mind while you go watch this one. And go watch this one you should (exactly once, of course) if only to relive what we left behind way back on the platform of that unknown little station called 8th standard - an uncared-for piece of baggage full of silly jokes, laughter, mannerisms along, sadly, with our innocence.
So Amitabh Bachchan is too tall even when it comes to fully grown adult roles. The camera-work need to be out of the world in order to be convincing - sadly, it's not. And those of you expecting to see some tricks out of Appu Raja's book (remember Kamal Hassan's dwarf act?) will be disappointed. Then we have the unnecessary political details that are conveniently forgotten later in the film, which might be considered by some as a blessing in disguise, given that the politico-media rhetoric is not well done at all (a dynamic young MP from Uttar Pradesh who happens to be from a political family which may or may not be holier than thou - surprise!) Inclusion of some form of political commentary seems to have become a filmmaker's benchmark of sorts and Balki fails miserably on this count, since it is obvious he could not decide what he exactly wanted to portray - the rise, fall and subsequent rise of an over-idealistic Amol (Abhishek) all of which happens within a very short span of time, doubts regarding his father's wealth and thereby honesty (thus questioning the foundation of Abhishek's 'politics is not a dirty world') or a snapshot of the sleazy reality and the associated cynicism fuelled by the opportunistic media. Also, if strained personal equations take time to heal, public perception and the media's stance does not switch overnight either.
Then we have Vidya Balan - now here's another actress who looks gorgeous but cannot act to save her life. Worse, she chooses to reprise a role from a film which owes its success to the humour, not to her wooden act (I'm obviously talking about Hey Babyy here) - the angry, young and unforgiving single mother who will obviously relent at the very end. End result - she reaffirms the faith reposed in her by her critics. The latter part of the second half where she is required to emote and hams every time she tries to do so is a pain and takes away the good memories of the part leading up till then.
So what's good? Well, Amitabh owns! Leave alone the height issue, and what we have here is a gem of a performance - the make-up not only helped in disguising him, but also enabled him to deliver the dialogues in an almost perfect child-like accent (I say almost perfect because you just know that it is Mr. Bachchan - which is hardly surprising given that his is one of the most easily recognizable voices). Every scene with him in it, inevitably cracking a smart-Alec comment or two, or behaving only like a school-kid does is a gem, so much so that the second half seems to drag only because all the melodrama hardly ever gets Auro involved directly.
His weird dance might seem repetitive after a few times, but as far as Auro's wisecracks go, while a few of them may have been a bit too mature for a 13-year-old, most of them are the kind of things a middle school-goer would say - and it's the way that they're said that seals it. Abhishek, in spite of a somewhat weakly written and insufficient role, performs adequately, as do the supporting actors Paresh Rawal and especially Arundathi Nag as "Bum" (watch it to find out why). Overall, the first half is a breeze while the second half drags - and while the music is nice, the later songs seem to have been force-fed into the scheme of things - but that's alright.
Granted, that there are many chinks in the armour - and as a viewer, you should keep that in mind while you go watch this one. And go watch this one you should (exactly once, of course) if only to relive what we left behind way back on the platform of that unknown little station called 8th standard - an uncared-for piece of baggage full of silly jokes, laughter, mannerisms along, sadly, with our innocence.