A Very Rare Mother-Son Son-Mother Story…

Finally after a long time I got to watch a movie in a theatre.. I’m usually too lazy to go :P, and end up watching the movie when it premiers on television.. But this was an exception..

After being exposed to so many reviews and publicity of Auro the progeric child, I was very excited to see ‘Paa’. A 65-year-old playing a 12-year-old who looks 65 years old.. Well thats going to be something isn’t it ? So along with my movie-crazy mom I sat down to enjoy all that the movie had to offer..

 

The film is about a 12-year-old boy Auro who suffers from a non-curable genetic disease called Progeria, because of which his body ages faster. So even though he is actually a child, physically he looks around 65 years old, this establishing his life-expectancy to be around 13-14 years. However the disease is more a background story. The main story line is said to be about the reunion of the boy with his father.

According to me it was a great film. The script wasn’t so powerful even though the story-line was original. However it was compensated by extraordinary performances by Vidya Balan who played Auro’s mother and ofcourse Mr. Amitabh Bachchan- Auro himself. The catch was the fact that the father’s role is played by Abhishekh Bachchan (Bachchan Jr.). He was good too, though in some places while assuming his role as a politician, he took it too far and came off looking embarrassingly self-righteous.

The portrayal of Auro is impeccable. Mr. Bachchan has been able to capture exactly how a school boy’s personality is. Auro doesn’t want his friends to see his mum dropping him off school, he’s not very fond of girls, he laughs when his friend can’t answer a question in class- instances like that make you forget you are watching a performance of such a seasoned actor.

Comic scenes like the fact that Auro loves the word ‘bum’– that’s what he calls his grandmother, ‘because she has a big bum‘ are fun. My favourite scene was his phone conversation with his best friend Vishnu who explains just how frustrated he is with his father. You just have to watch it to understand the hilarity of the situation :D..

The only drawback was their promotional stance. The film was marketed as a story about an exceptional father-son relationship.. However, I found the mother-son chemistry more engaging. A single mother raising a progeric child while being aware of the fact that her only child isn’t going to live long is commendable..

What I loved the most were Vidya Balan’s costumes.. She looked amazing (I don’t understand why she has been slashed by the media this time again).. Great sarees (let me update my shopping list :D).. It was a refreshing blend of Indo-Western attire. The soundtrack was great too. Suited the tone of the film perfectly.

 

I would say, that R. Balki (the director) has done an amazing job.. It was a film that would be remembered for a long time.. Few filmmakers stick their necks out to tell different stories in these days of mindless entertainers making potloads of money :P..

Great job guys! Way to go!!! 😀