Paa, R.Balakrishnan's second outing with his two all – time favorites, Amitabh Bachchan and Ilaiyaraja is set for release on December 4, 2009. R.Balakrishanan who literally had you by your emotional cuffs with his endearing May - December romance Cheeni Kum is all set to repeat that success once again with Paa, which is touted to be "a very rare father-son-son-father story" . It would have been rare and all the more sweeter if Mr.Balakrishnan had sought out something original than this cleverly packaged and Indianised version of Robin William's Jack, which released in 1996. If you could sway us with your Cheeni Kum, am sure with a career deeply rooted in the industry of ideas and 'diffusion ' of the same, you would have gone with something more refreshingly original than repackaging Hollywood.

Plagiarism being more the norm than the exception in Bollywood these days, this would seem a little early in coming, but I do sincerely hope your next project would be 100% Balakrishnan as opposed to Paa. Maybe it was more safer to go with a project like this, tried and tested and proved commercially successful at the world box – office which is primarily reassuring for a market like India. With ABCL producing the movie worth around Rs 16 Crore, this is also ABCL's concerted effort to break free from its old shackles and its first move to be a prime force in the Indian movie production business. Quite obvious from the way the First Family has put its whole might behind the movie, with Ms. AISHWARYA Rai –Bachchan controlling the production, Big B and Abhishek in the cast and Jaya Bhaduri introducing the characters in the opening credits.

The clever promos, the innovative marketing buzz with its unusual theme and look have created an unprecedented spike of curiosity about the product which says a lot about the road up ahead, post release.
Wit a lemony twist of real-meets-reel role reversals as Abhishek playing the on-screen father to the terminally ill Amitabh Bachchan as his son Auro, realized in a production budget that has been firmly in control, Paa is sure to work wonders.

With Paa's music released on 15th November, 2009, Ilaiyaraja's tracks, in a uncanny repetition from Cheeni Kum, also happen to evoke intensive dejavu of his old numbers from Telugu and Tamil.
Since Cheeni Kum, it has become more of a game now to decipher the original tune from a Ilaiyaraaja Hindi track. The Gumm Summ and its various permutations gives you a terrible flashback of Thumbi Vaa from the Old Malayalam Classic Olangal, and Mudhi Mudhi reminds of you of the old hit Ninnukkori Varnam from Gharshana. But the Maestro, is beyond comparisons, so be it.

Here's hoping Paa repeats the success of Cheeni Kum, redeems ABCL and enable R.Balakrishnan to giving us something refreshing like he did with his debut movie.