When a director takes a road less travelled, it means risk and challenges. Director R Balakrishnan’s ‘Paa’ journey was difficult but he achieves what he had set out to do – Amitabh Bachchan’s not recognisable in the role of progeria patient Auro, his character is not over the top and the director has managed to convey the message about the disease without much fuss.
Auro’s character is well-etched and Amitabh has certainly presented a new challenge for his colleagues by slipping under the skin of a 13-year-old with wrinkles, cataracts and no hair so convincingly. Not even once does his megastar image overshadow his character.
Big B has an author-backed role and his oneliners are the best – if he tickles your funny bones with his comments in one scene, in the next Auro tugs at your heart strings with his emotional paradoxes.
Amitabh’s make up is such that it doesn’t give him much room to use his facial muscles. Despite that he conveys every emotion he is going through and as the movie progresses one feels a connect with Auro.
In the performance department both Amitabh and Vidya Balan, who plays his single mother, complement each other. Amitabh and Abhishek’s scenes together are both funny and emotional. These are the finer points of the film.
But the film has flaws too. Abhishek is portrayed as an ambitious young politician, fine! But his media bashing spree is annoying! Except his sequences with naughty Auro, most of his scenes don’t fit in the scheme of things. Paresh Rawal is wasted in the film. But laudable parts of the film are P C Sreeram’s cinematography and Ilaiyaraaja’s music.
Watch ‘Paa’ for Amitabh and Vidya’s brilliant performances.