If Bollywood movies are to be believed, life in India is just one long song-and-dance routine, replete with swirling colors and dazzling costumes. And it matters not whether the subject be comedy, drama, romance, politics, poverty or - as in the case of "Paa" - Progeria, an incurable genetic disorder that causes a person to age at an alarmingly accelerated rate, so that a mere child will have the appearance and body of an octogenarian before hitting puberty (think of it as Benjamin Button in reverse). It is a condition that invariably ends in premature death around the age of thirteen. Such is the fate facing Auro (an adult Amitabh Bachchan in prosthetic makeup), a bright and spunky twelve-year-old boy with the physical condition and ailments common to a man in his 80s. Auro is plucked from relative obscurity when the newly elected MP (Abhishek Bachchan) takes a liking to him – only to discover that Auro is his very own son whom he abandoned years ago when his girlfriend, Vidya (Vidya Balan), became pregnant and led him to believe she was going to have an abortion.
Like many Bollywood productions, "Paa" suffers from excessive length, an overabundance of sentimentality, and a too-cheery disposition towards the vicissitudes and hardships of life – and, of course, the seemingly insatiable need for the aforementioned musical numbers. However, in this instance at least, saner heads seem to have prevailed, since such scenes are kept to a reasonable minimum, even though the running time of 136 minutes is still far too long for the story it has to tell. The movie, written and directed by R Balki, also can't entirely resist the temptation to make Auro an object of humor (though not of ridicule), and it really turns on the waterworks as it heads to its predestined tragic conclusion.
All that being said, "Paa" has moments of genuine originality and charm, and its subject matter itself is so unusual and compelling that many of its imperfections can be readily forgiven.
Like many Bollywood productions, "Paa" suffers from excessive length, an overabundance of sentimentality, and a too-cheery disposition towards the vicissitudes and hardships of life – and, of course, the seemingly insatiable need for the aforementioned musical numbers. However, in this instance at least, saner heads seem to have prevailed, since such scenes are kept to a reasonable minimum, even though the running time of 136 minutes is still far too long for the story it has to tell. The movie, written and directed by R Balki, also can't entirely resist the temptation to make Auro an object of humor (though not of ridicule), and it really turns on the waterworks as it heads to its predestined tragic conclusion.
All that being said, "Paa" has moments of genuine originality and charm, and its subject matter itself is so unusual and compelling that many of its imperfections can be readily forgiven.