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Cast:
Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, |
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Vidya Balan, Paresh Rawal, Arundhati Naag |
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Year:
2009 |
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Music:
Ilayya Raja |
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Lyrics:
Swanand
Kirkire |
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Editor:
Anil Naidu |
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Executive
Producer:
Anita Anand Zutshi, Jitendra Bagga |
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Banner:
Big Pictures, Mad Entertainment Ltd. |
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Producer:
Sunil Manchanda, AB Corp, Big Pictures |
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Story and Director:
R. Balki |
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film driven by a simple narrative, a sweet, heartfelt story
of relationships and some of the best performances of the
year. The film is not about a child with Progeria; yes the
character of Auro played brilliantly by Amitabh Bachchan is
afflicted with the rare genetic disease but the film is
essentially a story about a young boy's relationship with
his single mother, and ultimately his relationship with his
father who is unaware of his existence until then. The
beauty of the film is that you see everything through the
eyes of this innocent yet extremely intelligent and witty
thirteen year old, opening up an innocent world to the
audiences that most of us have forgotten. |
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For the most part, the film is not extremely
dramatic or emotional and those who may have felt it
would be a tear jerker will be in for a surprise. In
fact, the dialogues are so witty, especially Auro's
lines, that you find yourself laughing throughout
the film. Laughing at dialogues which are funny not
because they are jokes, but because they show how a
child reacts to normal situations in life, many of
which we take for granted. Everything about the way
Balki treats the story, Auro's situation and how he
approaches the relationship with |
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his father is simplistic, yet with a fresh
perspective hence the world he creates is believable and the
characters feel real. Amol Apte's character, enacted by
Abhishek Bachchan with such fine ease, may in fact seem to
be a bit too simple, but that can also be because the heart
of the film is not about politics, although Balki is clearly
trying to make a point about both educated youths in
parliament as well as media's thirst for a "story", and the
fact that Amol is a new age politician is more a part of
building his character and understanding his motivations
than it is an attempt to try an change how we view
politicians. What's even more endearing is that Balki avoids
several cliché's that one would have probably expected even
though Auro is so different in appearance from his
classmates, there is no ragging or bullying and he is liked
by all; Auro is not constantly questioning why he is
different or sulking at his disease, his mother, Vidya, is
not bitter or distraught or melodramatic as a result of
being a single mother and the manner in which she handles
her 'special' son is just the way any mother would normally
treat her child without getting constantly stuck on the
fact that her |
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child
has a genetic disorder while the naani (or 'bum' as
Auro calls her) is neither too saccharine sweet nor
is she cold and manipulative like we witness in most
Hindi films. The characters all behave like normal
people, with normal reactions in difficult
situations coping with life which is exactly what
makes the film work. Balki's treatment of each of
the relationships in the film is honest and real and
with believable characters and brilliant
performances, it is difficult to pin down any
alarming flaws. |
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The dialogues as mentioned earlier are a huge asset
in a film which is also shot beautifully with songs
at exactly the right places, treated freshly and a
smooth edit. The use of the "Udi Udi" song to
establish the Vidya Amol romance and their eventual
conflict is apt for the situation and keeps the
flashback swift yet impactful. The performances by
all of the leading actors are flawless Amitabh
Bachchan has reinvented himself to the extent that
for most of the film you forget that Auro has been
played by Bachchan such is the manner in which he
effortless slips into the role of a young boy. His
mannerisms, his voice, his emotions will all leave
you in awe and you can actually see that he has had
fun playing such a young boy, a fun which comes
across in Auro's character on screen. This is by far
the best performance in his illustrious career.
Abhishek Bachchan is in fine form as the young Amol
Arte, a politician representative of today's youth,
someone wanting to change the way people view
politics so that it is no longer considered a bad
word. His chemistry with Mr. Bachchan is so pure and
real that the reverse father son relationship seems
absolutely natural on screen. Vidya Balan |
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is perfectly in her element in a role which demands
restraint, maturity and an actor who can emote
naturally with subtlety and ease. Her expressions,
especially her eyes, remind you why she is always a
top contender for roles which require an actress
with strong screen presence as well as acting
prowess; both of which she clearly posses. Paresh
Rawal is his dependable self in his brief role while
the actress who places Vidya's mother and Auro's
'bum' is perfectly cast and delivers a spot on
performance. |
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Paa
is a film meant to be seen with your family; with
elderly parents, with your kids, with your spouse.
It's a film you will enjoy and will remind you of
life's simplicities a film which will make you laugh
while also pulling at your heart strings. Paa is an
example of the finer films in Hindi cinema with some
of the best performances of the year. |
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