Paa is the best!

Paa

Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Abhishek Bachchan, Arundhati Naag, Paresh Rawal
Direction: R. Balki
Rating: ****

The bottom-line first: Amitabh Bachchan, 67, as Auro, 13, is convincing, compelling, adorable, cocky and will live with us forever. When Paa begins, you’ll find yourself spending a significant amount of time trying to find AB from under Auro’s disguise — lefty, the height, the walk, the voice, the mannerism et cetera. Bigger the fan, longer this list. But it’s pointless. Auro took over Amitabh Bachchan before the cameras rolled.

Now for the rest. Paa is a touching and delightful story of bright, cute, plucky Auro. Born with progeria, a progressive genetic disorder that causes accelerated aging, Auro is 13 but lives in a 60-70 year-old-body with all its attendant complications and more. Auro lives in Uttar Pradesh with his gynaecologist mother Vidya (Vidya Balan), grand-mom Bum (“because she has a big bum”), and goes to school where he has several friends. Auro doesn’t know but self-righteous MP Amol Arte (Abhishek Bachchan) is his father. We meet Auro when he wins the first prize in a school competition and the trophy is handed over by Amol. Media present at the event is intrigued by the strange-looking Auro and land up in school next day to film the freak. Amol calls to apologise and Auro says he’d like to visit Rashtrapati Bhawan. A date is fixed.

Flashback to Oxford where Vidya is studying to be a doctor, and son-of-politician Amol is studying to be a politician. The two run into each other and are soon making out in train coupes and restaurants. Condoms, on which Amol will later deliver a speech, aren’t close at hand, so they go ahead anyway. Vidya is pregnant, Amol talks MBA, politics, changing things... Vidya takes the next flight home and delivers her baby under her supportive mother’s tender love and care. Amol thinks the baby has been aborted.

Back to holier-than-thou Amol who is trying to help slum dwellers in Ambedkar Colony (UP, Mayawati, Samajwadi Party, Jaya Bachchan... get it?). A politician plays dirty tricks and media maligns Amol. This upsets Amol a great deal and he pulls a corny stunt that is telecast live. Touché and all that and we move back to the main story.

On Auro’s b’day, Vidya gifts him his father’s picture. Little Auro takes this rather well and goes to Delhi with Amol. Pressing potty issues, bum-potty jokes and Amol and Auro strike a friendship. Auro returns, has a stroke, Amol rushes to hospital, sees Vidya, figures, apologises, tries to manao her, Vidya is unrelenting but Auro really wants to call his dad Paa...

Full marks to director R. Balki for keeping a sad story low on maudlin and high on fun. Paa doesn’t do the squeeze-release-squeeze weepy routine. It’s sensitive and though it ends on a sad note, it’s not sad. Balki surrounds Auro with people who love him dearly and those who feel pity or have nasty, inquisitive questions are dealt with soundly and shut out. Auro’s world too, despite the knowledge that end is near, is normal — he likes spicy food, but has to have khichri; his door bears the warning, “Knock, or I’ll knock your head off.” He is not a retreating sort, and lives life with a perky smile and a liberating monkey step. It helps that Auro has the funniest dialogues and a cool lingo that’s easy to connect with. The in-joke, the knowledge that Amitabh is Abhishek’s father, makes their interaction fun.

Paa’s problems lie in its second track. Considerable amount of time is spent on Amol and his jung. It’s unnecessary, inept and irritates by wasting time that could have been spent in Auro’s world. The problem is mainly with Amol’s character, and partly with Abhishek pulling faces. Amol’s character is supremely smug and Abhishek delivers bhashans with one single expression that says: “I look like a dude but what I’m saying is seriously significant and very deep”.

Vidya Balan is understated, lovely and sexy. Sabyasachi has done a wonderful job matching her stunning cotton saris with gorgeous blouses. Very desi, very chic. Paresh Rawal hardly has a role, Arundhati Naag is good and the kid who plays Vishnu is great. Illayaraja’s music is fabulous, especially the violin version of Auro Theme.

Though there are moments you feel Auro is behaving and talking like an adult, in the end you don’t really care. He is the star of the show. Mr Balki, could we have a sequel, please. And this time, dump the dad and call it Auro.