Paa

Overall Rating: 3.63/5

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Ratings:3/5 Reviewer:Rajeev Masand Site:IBNLive

Much in the same vein as the director's previous film Cheeni Kum, the first half of Paa unfolds breezily, with witty dialogue and clever scenes used effectively to establish the characters and their relationships. Steering clear of pity, even in delicate scenes, Balki avoids the obvious pitfalls that come with stories about characters suffering from grim conditions.Despite the hiccups, Paa is ultimately an engaging film because of its largely original writing. Most scenes, in fact, between Auro and his buddies at school are a pleasure to watch because of the natural performances Balki is able to derive from his child actors.I'm going with three out of five for director R Balki's Paa. Few filmmakers stick their necks out to tell difficult and different stories in these days of mindless entertainers making potloads of money. For their intentions alone, the makers of Paa deserve a thumbs-up.

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Ratings:4/5 Reviewer:Taran Adarsh Site:BollywoodHungama

Trust me, 10 minutes into the film and you forget you're watching Amitabh Bachchan. For, Auro takes over the moment he is introduced to the viewer. PAA is a simple film told in the most simplistic manner and that's one of the prime reasons why this film works big time. The emotions would've fallen flat had the writing been sub-standard or the execution of the material been humdrum or the actors been inferior. But, thankfully, PAA scores in all three departments, although it must be said that the entire slum redevelopment episode is a complete put-off. Yet, all said and done, PAA is an outstanding film. A film for every paa, every maa... for everyone with a heart. Take a bow, Auro!

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Ratings:3.5/5 Reviewer:Nikhat Kazmi Site:TimesOfIndia

Amitabh not only captures the essence of the gawky, geeky, god-he's-different teenager with great skill, he creates a whole new benchmark for an actor to experiment, innovate ad reinvent himself when the career graph seems to plateau. The actor looks different (almost unrecognisable as E.T.'s country cousin), talks different (with a slight nasal twang), moves different (an awkward shuffle that breaks into the Auro dance) and emotes different (mostly through his be-spectacled eyes). End result? Paa is an experience that works, only because it is so different. Watch out for a lilting
music score by Ilaiyaraaja, some picturesque cinematography by PC Sreeram, a chuckle-and-laugh screenplay and some fine acting. But Paa is primarily a platform for Auro to steal your heart away. He does. And no, he isn't a desi Benjamin Button.

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Ratings:3.5/5 Reviewer:Sukanya Verma Site:Rediff

Director R Balakrishnan aka Balki's Paa celebrates the purest phase of an individual with such touching simplicity; it's impossible to remain unmoved.What's more remarkable he doesn't brand the key protagonist into someone odd or special because of his peculiar illness. The ailment, in this case Progeria -- a medical condition which leads to premature ageing of a child, is purely incidental, it doesn't change the course of the story or influence the actions of those who surround him.Ultimately, Paa is Auro's dream and moment. And so you shed a tear in his memory and leave the hall with a fond smile on your lips, secretly doing the monkey dance in your head knowing he would have liked it.

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Ratings:4/5 Reviewer:Gaurav Malani Site:Indiatimes

From its very outset,Paa is not designed as an educational or informative film on Progeria unlike Taare Zameen Par that took a serious look at dyslexia. The disorder is just used as a backdrop to make way for a basic human drama. And Balki has an absolutely different definition for drama. His storytelling is supremely simple and subtle. Much of the plot is predictable but the director’s lighthearted approach to a subject, which otherwise could have been melodramatically reduced to a tearjerker, makes it different.At times you should not be yourself to show the world what you really are. Amitabh Bachchan does just that and shows the world he is the Paa of performing arts.

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Ratings:4/5 Reviewer:Martin D Souza Site:Glamsham

Let's give a standing ovation to the man who dominated the 80s and 90s and continues to surprise with his talent and willingness to subject himself to roles that require make-up for a complete change in appearance. Mr Amitabh Bachchan, for you Sir... the applause refuses to die off... R Balakrishnan (aka R Balki) has tackled a very complex subject and has brought out the beauty of relationships in a very forceful manner without even one relationship in the movie going over the top.Paa kasam, this film will rock you.

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Ratings:3.5/5 Reviewer:Anupama Chopra Site:NDTVMovies

But Balki's real triumph as a writer is the character of Auro. There is no trace of self-pity about him. He's witty, charming and pretty acidic when he wants to be. He calls his grandmother Bum because she has a big one.The film unfortunately, isn't as smooth. The first half has a few jarring moments - at one point, we detour into Amol's political career, which leads to an unnecessary lecture on media responsibility - but mostly Balki keeps the plot on track. Paa loses its flow. It loses its emotional momentum and starts to feel unnecessarily manipulative and lengthy. I found the other children in the film especially problematic.These are sizeable bumps but Paa neutralizes them with strong performances, some crackling writing and its ambition.

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Ratings:3.5/5 Reviewer:Anand Vaishnav Site: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. But what works for this film are the impressive performances and director R Balakrishnan's treatment. Balki doesn't go for an excessively melodramatic approach keeping the flow lighthearted. While this robs off some depth and your heart doesn't go all out for the characters, there are several other highs. The flow is rather charming and funny.Don't miss the innovative opening titles, which set the pace for the film's straight-out-of-life narrative. Paa might fall short of greatness but has a positive, feel good graph that stays with you for long. Far from being boring or heavy on the senses, this is a simple film for the entire family. Take your Maa and Paa along and you wont regret it.

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