• Amitabh has proven yet again, that there is almost no role he cant carry off elegantly, it takes courage to take on the kind of roles he takes on. The guy is truly timeless. He never once overdoes his uniquely different role [12 year old Auro suffering from a rare genetic disease] and captures your heart right from the word go. I can’t imagine how he dubbed for this role without making it look comical and overt.
• Director Balki has tried to send several social messages through this film, and they reach home only because he doesn't try too hard. Messages like 1. Women should have children and not go against their natural feminine grain else this results in uterus related and other complexes 2. Kids are not always cruel to kids with disabilities - given a nurturing environment they are actually very accommodating and compassionate. 3. The trials and tribulations of the rare disease Progeria 4. Vidya Balan's strong and positive retort to another mother's query on Auro's condition is a mini lesson in how parents of special children should handle such 'uns.
• Vidya Balan looks lovely, wears tasteful clothes challenging the media over hyped verdict that she has very bad taste in clothes. She acts decently, but I surely missed the ache she should have been able to convey behind her beautiful smile given the tough life she encountered. Her role was not very well written and could have been far deeper.
• Abhishek Bachchan might get conveniently ignored in this movie, given the stellar performance by his dad, but I hope none of you miss how brilliantly he has carried his role given its various shades - part shrewd, part sensitive, part practical etc. etc. He even looks good wearing the simplest of clothes, dressed mostly as a young politician.
• The movie does have its trying moments, Balki irritates with some unnecessary melodrama and some long winded totally do-away-able scenes like Vidya Balan's sudden outbursts and the last scene where Abhishek and Vidya take the ceremonial 7 pheras [circles] to please their son. In the cinema where we watched the film, a little kid sitting in the row ahead jumped and asked his mom "what happened to her NOW!??" when Vidya Balan gets into one of her sudden howling bouts! Also, the overly smiling Jaya Bachchan reading the credits in the beginning was avoidable.
• Music by Illaiyaraja definitely brought back memories of the engaging music he once used to produce, but I must say that in Paa they were sometimes inappropriate and loud in scenes which could have been made more powerful without any music at all. The main actors, big and small B could have been left to do the talking :)
• PC Sreeram's cinematography glows with fineness and carries the film like a caring father on its shoulders, no over the top techniques, just splendid support to good direction. It reminded me of the movie poster where Abhishek cheerfully carries Auro on his back, where Abhishek is PC Sreeram and Auro is the movie.
• The movie surprisingly has some very funny scenes courtesy Auro and his best friend Vishnu who hates his father
• Balki might have known a child of 12 years of age intimately, given that the portrayal of kids of that age is very believable
• I was happy to see Balki portray Vidya’s character as a medical professional who is doing well and not some hand to mouth self sacrificing mom
• Arundhati Nag plays the role of Auro’s grand mom nicely, but I do wish Balki had gone beyond just portraying her a an ever supportive, never frustrated grand mom – given that he had a seasoned actress such as her to work with
• Balki has made several attempts to make his movie a commercial success and I do think they work – the media v/s politicians conflict, the hopeful air, the humor etc.
• The movie rushes did no justice to the movie, I for one wasn't interested, thinking that it would be another movie about some serious human disability with all its sadness and scientific detail. Also, the people who have done Amitabh's make up have done an amazing job to make it look natural.
• So overall, Paa is a sure shot one time watch
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