Paa is one of the most ambitious projects Bollywood has ever ventured upon. The promos had been promising to create history. An excellent film of a very different genre, Paa is a brilliant movie with some of the outstanding performances of the year. With a phenomenal storyline, Paa not only touches the heart of the movie buffs but also brings in few tears to even the hardest of hearts.

The story revolves around a 13 year-old-boy “Auro” played by Amitabh Bachchan, who is inflicted by a rare genetic disease “Progeria”, which causes accelerated ageing. Even though Auro looks 65 years, mentally he is the same naughty 13-year old boy, who runs around, asks for piggybacks and plays in puddle. The mannerism, persona and charisma of Amitabh Bachchan is nowhere to be seen, and an another 13 years old happy child who wants his parents to be together, is etched on the screen.

Instead of going for a melodramatic tearjerker storyline, Balaki has kept the movie simple and subtle, which just increases its face value.

The trademark Big B is nowhere in the movie, it’s all about the kid “Auro”. Amitabh Bachchan takes the levels of acting to a higher transcend. Even though the movie revolves around ‘Auro’, other actors manages to leave their impression especially Abhishek Bachchan, who has played the father of Auro in the movie. The confidence of a young politician and the conflict of a young father have been portrayed very well by him.

Vidya Balan plays the role of a mother effortlessly and her depiction of a young mother is commendable. Even other actors like Arundhati Naag, Paresh Rawal and the child actors have performed very well and deserve applause.

If you are going to the theaters thinking that the movie Paa is inspired by, the very heart touching film ‘Jack’ by Francis Ford Coppola, then you may well get disappointed. Director Balakrishnan does all his bit in keeping the movie less about the story of a 13 year old boy suffering from a terminal disease, Progeria and making it more of a family drama.

Paa is not a movie where you would be getting sermons about Progeria, which is a rare (one in 8 million) genetic condition, with the most visible symptom being aggressive aging. Progeria has been just used as a backdrop. As the tagline indicates, Paa is really a movie about a ‘father-son’ relationship. The movie pulls in some dry humor and includes director’s personal views on issues from politics to motherhood. The movie remains lighthearted and touches the heart subtly to a rather deeper level.