Did you see 'Paa'?

This time I decided to defy norms.  I am one who would allow the Newspaper movie critic bend my thoughts  to see a movie based on their graphical representation of a good or a bad film on every friday release.  Sometimes this has helped, sometimes it has still burnt my slender pocket by some 300 odd money spent on a movie thats not worth it.  But this time, I decided not to look at the Friday Review and to go and hit the theatre hall to see ' Paa'. 

Much talks were around pre and post production of this film.  Starting from the fact that this one is ABCL s comeback trail, that it took Big B five hours without water or food to put on the make up of the Progerian child and two more to take it off, the fact that the son Abhishek Bachchan plays the Dad, the fact that 'Paa' s much publicised premiere was attended by the biggest who's who of bollywood including Baadshah  Shahrukh Khan, and not to forget the amazing posters which will make anyone curious about how a 6ft 2 inches tall, 67 years old man can look like a 12 year progerian child , Paa had all the ingredients already to invoke curiosity in the mind of a movie goer.

The film starts with a very unconventional method of introducing the crew .  ABCLs Jaya Bachchan reads out one by one all the names of the cast and the crew. The significance was thought to be on two counts by my sceptical mind. 

A.  Jaya reads the names for those who cannot read it.
B.  Jaya introduces all to acknowledge the contribution of everybody of the shooting unit which , if not so pronounced usually never gets registered in the audience' mind.  Director R.Balakrishnan leaves his first impression with real mastery. 

I am like those million movie goers who know nothing about the theory of good cinema.  To me, good photography means great scenery, capturing of the locale, good acting means the actors' ability to make me laugh and cry with them. I understand nothing more than being able to hear crystal clear sound when it comes to sound editing and mixing  and to me great make-up means, convincing look.

The make up artists of Amitabh Bachhchan has certainly created magic with their expertise.  Except for a few close shots with Vidya Balan, ( Auro's on screen Mother ) when one cannot make mistake about the deep eyes of Mr Bachchan,  it is absolutely impossible to decipher Big B  as what he is from the garb.  Use of top angle shots most of the time by  the cinematographer has helped reduce the tall Amitabh to a frail Progerian child with all credulence.  The baritone voice has given way to a nasal tone, the occasional lisps to pronounce words like ' 'gynaecologist' lends all the more reality to the deliverence of the character. 

I remember Amitabha Bachchan's one page praise showered on his son Abhishek after ' Guru' was released on every leading national daily . Abhishek, indeed has marched a long way since his debut.  One after another his performance has mesmerized the audience.  There is this filmy ' last scene ' in ' Paa' when Amitabh ( Auro) utters the word ' Paa' for the first time and then breathes his last.  Abhishek's transformation of facial expression from the delight  of attaining momentary fatherhood to the agony of helplessness of losing a genetically disordered child  who he never parented,  most certainly proves that even though the onscreen character of Amitabh has genetic disorder, off screen Abhishek has got the correct genetic code when it comes to inheriting the acting prowess from his dad. 
Instead of turning out the film to a morbid documentary of a no cure Progeria disease, Director Balakrishnan  has successfully turned it to an enjoyable weekend 'relief'.  The occasional comic relief has been lend by a very strong performance from the inimitable Paresh Rawal and Amitabh himself.  How can you forget Auro's witty comments peppered all throughout the movie in his several interactions with 'Bum' ( Arundhati Nag, Auro's Grandmom) and the hilarious  account of Paresh Rawal and Amitabh in the hospital when the latter says there is not much time left and Paresh Rawal starts consoling him how Auro has to get well soon to play with his Grandad, to which Auro replies, " Mein sirf Visiting hours ka baat kar raha tha."  A masterstoke I must say. 

Vidya Balan will keep this one in her kitty as a mind blowing performance all throughout her life.  A perfect working mom look delivered by Sabyasachi, Aki Narula et al,  Vidya has given a very very strong performance as Auro's unmarried mother- who in Auro's parlance never took the ' round and round' ( saat phera) with his dad.  Hardened by the reality of parenting a child whose father wanted to abort the foetus because he had political dreams to follow, Vidya's is supremely composed, measured and clinical in her execution of the role.

Before the screening of Paa, I read about a certain family in Chhapra Zilla, Bihar where two children were prey to this rare disease. Ikramulla , one of the progerian child said that the disease does not allow one to roam and jump around so freely as has been shown in the film.  I bet it does not and therefore expected an otherwise fabulous Balakrishnan to have bolstered his research a bit more.  He indeed lost a few counts on this part of the screenplay because, other than a few ' hichkis' ( hiccups) followed by an ICU admission, Auro seems to be unpurturbed by the disease.  The real picture may not be so easy for those who are prey to this ailment. 

One cannot sign off without writing about Arundhati Nag. Had she not complemented the role of a doting grandmom so well, Auro's performance could have lost some sheen off it.

'Paa', Tare Zameen Par' are few films bollywood would be proud of.  I did not see any full page projection of Amitabh Bachchan's salutation for his son's performance on any of the newspaper this time , but ' Paa' is worth all the 'paisa' that one spends on it. A path breaking performance by all the cast it sure is a  fantastic watch that leaves an indelible mark in your mind.