Paa - External Reviews

Thumbs up by S Ramachandran, AOL INDIA ...extremely witty lines salvage an average story ... full review

Thumbs up by N K Deoshi, Apun Ka Choice ...Vidya Balan, I must admit, overacts in the scenes showing her emotional outburst.... full review

Thumbs up by Manish Gajjar, BBC ...celebrates the childhood years of a special-needs child serving as a catalyst in bringing two people together.... full review

Thumbs up by Bobby Singh, Bobby Talks Cinema.com ...The marketing team very pleasantly came up with a positive feel in its promos accompanied by some soothing music and captivating dance movements featuring the main character “Auro”. ... full review

Thumbs up by Piyush Singh, Bolly Spice ...one of the most 'beautiful' films of the year... full review

Thumbs up by Taran Adarsh, Bollywood Hungama ...It may've been publicized as a father-son film, but the women - mother and granny - play equally pivotal parts... full review

Thumbs up by Daliya Ghose, Bollywood Mantra ...Paresh Rawal is impressive. Arundhati Naag is astonishing.... full review

Thumbs up by Anand Vaishnav, Buzz18 ...As a plot, Paa is inherently Bollywood with subtle influences of Shekhar Kapoor's Masoom, Mahesh Bhatt's Kaash and Aamir Khan's Taare Zameen Par... full review

Thumbs up by Deep, Deep's Home ...GOD.. is the right word for Amitabh Bachchan.... full review

Thumbs up desi hits ...Because it doesn't try to conform to Bollywood standards by creating dance numbers, this soundtrack is a great compliment to the film. ... full review

Thumbs down by Kaushik Chatterjee, Desicritics ...Inclusion of some form of political commentary seems to have become a filmmaker's benchmark of sorts and Balki fails miserably on this count... full review

Thumbs up by Rakesh, Desicritics ...The movie starts off with Jaya Bachchan narrating the titles and this got me real confused. I mean, what were those expressions; somewhere between giggling on an adult joke and trying to suppress the urge to go to the loo... full review

Thumbs up by Deepa Garimella, fullhyd.com ...The make-up, and the muffled and faked voice distract you from what's really inside, but the unmistakable Bachchan signature emerges when the humour kicks in.... full review

Thumbs up by Martin D'Souza, Glamsham.com ...Balki also manages to throw a positive light on sticky issues.... full review

Thumbs up by Mayank Shekhar, Hindustan Times ...For most parts, the MP takes on the irresponsibility and trivialisation of television news. This should suit the opinion of the streets. It could fetch the film its box-office returns.... full review

Thumbs up by Rajeev Masand, IBN Live ...Steering clear of pity, even in delicate scenes, Balki avoids the obvious pitfalls that come with stories about characters suffering from grim conditions.... full review

Thumbs up by Subhash K Jha, IBOS ...In many ways Auro reminded me of Anand. In Hrishikesh Mukherje’s Anand, Rajesh Khanna enters into mildly troubled lives fills them with joie de vivre and vanishes into the oblivion of mortality.... full review

Thumbs up by Kaveree Bamzai, india today ...grandmother is the powerful Arundhati Nag, a wonderful change from Punjab di Mummy Kirron Kher?... full review

Thumbs up by Susan Jose, India-Forums ... Abhishek Bachchan is squeaky clean and good-looking. He is compelling. But he still hasn't reached the point where he can stir up your emotions. ... full review

Thumbs up by Mihir Fadnavis, india.com ...More than often, the film curiously pushes Auro to the background, which is frustrating because his presence lights up every frame of the film.... full review

So-So by Debojit Ghatak, Indian Auteur ...he has taken the conventional suave Reid & Taylor borne image of Amitabh Bachchan and completely destructed it to create a character so far removed from where we started with, that it exceeds the achievement of the rather run-of-the-mill film it is placed inside... full review

Thumbs down by Shubhra Gupta, indian express ...here’s grace in Auro, but not in ‘Paa’s script, which sags under the weight of many more such obvious statements. ... full review

Thumbs up by Gaurav Malani, indiatimes .... The disorder is just used as a backdrop to make way for a basic human drama. ... full review

Thumbs up Indicine ...Overall, Paa had potential to be a much better film than it turned out to be.... full review

Thumbs up Indicine ...Paa isn’t flawless nor as emotionally touching as Aamir Khan’s Taare Zameen Par. But Balki’s simple narration, the character of Auro, along with the brilliance of Mr Bachchan - makes Paa one of the best movies of the year.... full review

So-So by Amrita, Indiequill ...Vidya Balan, after a slew of forgettable movies, once again turns into an actress you enjoy watching.... full review

So-So by Kshitij Mehta, J.A.M ...It is poorly scripted and the political angle is blown out of proportion. ... full review

Thumbs up by Rohit S, merinews ...The confidence of a young politician and the conflict of a young father have been portrayed very well by him.... full review

Thumbs up Movie Talkies ...The dialogues as mentioned earlier are a huge asset in a film which is also shot beautifully with songs at exactly the right places,... full review

Thumbs up by Minty Tejpal, Mumbai Mirror ...When you see your favourite actor ever wearing a large oversized head with bulging veins, looking almost alien and unrecognisable, you wonder, especially considering some of the recent costume dramas Amitabh Bachchan has been in. Well, Paa turns out to be an absolutely delightful film, chiefly due to the endearing 12-year-old character masterfully played by the 67-year-old Amitabh Bachchan, as also because of the sharp, deft tone director Balki maintains throughout. As a film Paa is smartly designed to tug at your weepy glands, which it does unabashedly, but without ever resorting to unnecessary hysterics or clichéd melodrama. So you may well cry, but will also certainly enjoy, for the dialogue stays sharp and witty, the entire cast is in top form, and the tone of the film is light and teasing. Paa promises to be a different experience, and that starts right at the beginning, when all the credits are read out on screen by a seated, smiling, sari-clad Jaya Bachchan, a refreshing departure. Then follows a simple story, but well told. Abhishek Bachchan and Vidya Balan meet and become lovers during their college years in London. When Vidya gets pregnant, Abhishek, a politician’s son being groomed to inherit the family business, is hesitant to be a father. So they break up, and Vidya disappears to Lucknow. Supported by her strong single mother (Arundhati Nag) she decides to bring up her child, who has been diagnosed with progeria, a premature aging disease. Twelve years later the child becomes Auro (Amitabh Bachchan), a large bald school kid with a nasal voice, crooked teeth and gangly gait. One day he meets his father, now a well-known MP, and an unusual friendship develops between them, though both are unaware of their relationship until interval. Then the father-son trot off on a trip to Delhi, until Abhishek realises Auro is his own son. From there on the film is about awkward Auro getting his estranged parents together, even as his own life ebbs out. Except for the entire slum redevelopment and media bashing angle, which jarred and seemed out of place, the rest of Paa works like magic. Amitabh Bachchan is almost unrecognisable as Auro, which would surely have been a big gamble. Get the most famous face in India and cover him in a large shower cap which looks like an upturned pregnant belly. Yet it pays off big time. Amitabh plays Auro as a sharp, pesky fellow, who loves video games, is conscious of his ‘image’ and shy of girls. As a child he has the right to use words like potty and bum, which he abuses to the hilt. Finally, Auro has a special delightful gawky dance, reminiscent of a lanky Amitabh from his younger days, which the kids of today and yesterday are sure to love. Abhishek is refreshing and restrained as the suave honest politician, while Vidya Balan again shows the immense promise of Parineeta, which she seemed to have lost in her last few forgettable films. Vidya delivers a strong, graceful performance as a single mother, ably supported by Arundhati Nag. Special mention must be made of the entire school cast, who were all natural and endearing, especially Vishnu, who is just delightful as Auro’s best friend. Reflecting his vast advertising background which deals in 60 second spots, Balki pays minute attention to each specific frame, and it shows in the sharp production design and cinematography. But finally, Paa rightfully belongs to Big B, who in an award-winning performance, makes it all look like child’s play once again. Go watch it quickly, and please, also take your ma to Paa. ... full review

Thumbs up by Anupama Chopra, NDTV ...But Balki's real triumph as a writer is the character of Auro. ... full review

Thumbs up by Ashok Nayak, Now Running.com ...Watch it for Amitabh Bachchan and Auro.... full review

So-So by Arpana, Now Running.com ...if he tickles your funny bones with his comments in one scene, in the next Auro tugs at your heart strings with his emotional paradoxes.... full review

Thumbs down by Namrata Joshi, Outlook India ...The film is largely gently paced yet there are some jarring and tackily-handled scenes... full review

Thumbs up by RK, Passion for Cinema ...Paa can be said as an actor-less film. It becomes a character based films. ... full review

Thumbs up by Khalid Mohamed, Passion for Cinema ...Despite the prosthetics you watch every tiny twitch of the actor’s grey-rimmed eyes, and a gash of a mouth which turns prim or breaks into rat-a-tat giggles.... full review

So-So by Padmaja Thakore, Passion for Cinema ...We see how the feminine domestic environment has nurtured Auro’s world view into one that is full of humour and acceptance.... full review

Thumbs up by Tony, Radio Sargam ...Director Balki has managed to make a film from a confusing subject. And not only that, but the final product is as simple as it gets.... full review

Thumbs up by Abhijit Mhamunkar, real bollywoood ...Balki had showcased glimpse of his brand of sarcastic humor in his debut film and with Paa he has completely established it. ... full review

Thumbs up by Sukanya Verma, Rediff ...Even though the film's not called Maa, it easily could be. Vidya Balan slips into the skin of a doting mom with such ease without the mollycoddling tone Bollywood's young mothers often resort to... full review

Thumbs up by Rajiv Vijayakar, Screen ...Ilayaraja’s songs (especially Mudi mudi) and even more his background score augment the emotional mood and quotient of the film wonderfully, a... full review

Thumbs up by Sonia Chopra, Sify Movies ...The finest quality of the film is its refusal to coax pity out of the viewer - either for Auro or for single mother Vidya.... full review

Thumbs up by K N Gupta, SmasHits.com ...The entire movie should be credited with a performance par excellence.... full review

Thumbs up by Manish Gaekwad, StarBoxOffice ...The film tends to lose focus when it aims its camera on anything else but Auro. ... full review

Thumbs up by K K Rai, STARDUST ... The story of the movie is very predictable and there are no surprises as suc... full review

Thumbs up by Sahil Khan, The Tossed Salad ...Yet, he does get carried away with his self-righteous, media- bashing dialogues; a homily that seems somewhat a misfit... full review

Thumbs up by Nikhat Kazmi, Times of India ...The film, which peters off into vague sub-plots about slum redevelopment and unwarranted media-bashing in the first half, suddenly picks up and scales new heights in the second half.... full review

Thumbs up by Fakir Hassen, TONIGHT ... Supported by technical experts from Hollywood who designed the realistic masks worn by Auro, director R Balki does a superb job that will leave many a tear in viewers' eyes.... full review

So-So by The Thirdman, Upper Stall ... In terms of Auro’s look, one has to salute the make-up department... full review

Thumbs up by SpiceZee Bureau, ZEENEWS.COM ...Not even once does his megastar image overshadow his character. ... full review