PAA

American news outlets have begun reviewing Bollywood films. I'm not sure whether this is a reaction to growing NRI communities across the country or a response to the unexpected popularity of Slumdog Millionaire, but either way the tone of the coverage has shown a distinct lack of respect for Bollywood films as films. I have not seen Paa yet, so this is not a commentary on the quality of the film itself - it's a critique of the critics.

Let's start with a baseline review to judge our critics with - Rajeev Masand, who is a pretty good barometer of where Indian film critics fall on any particular film.

.He praises the filmmakers for tackling a difficult subject and the performances from Vidya Balan and (especially) Amitabh Bachchan but has some reservations about the narrative - particularly the portions centering on Abhishek's character's career as a politician, which he feels distracts from the narrative as a whole.An illustrative section of the review:"PC Sreeram's dazzling cinematography and Illayraja's soothing score help make up for many of the script's flaws, and ultimately contribute to making Paa an easy, enjoyable watch

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."Now, moving on to our contrasting review, take a look at the Los Angeles Times idea of a critical review. Mr. Thomas begins by calling the film a "tedious Bollywood soap-opera" and you can imagine where he takes it from there. He criticizes the filmmakers for combining footage from Oxford and Cambridge and damns the performances with faint praise.An illustrative section of the review:"All of this happens early on in the film but writer-director R. Balki stretches out Paa, which is "Pa" in Hindi, to an unconscionable 145 minutes that seems all the longer since it's clear that father and son will eventually learn of their relationship. Meanwhile, time is running out for Auro, who is approaching 13, an age beyond which few with his condition live. Bachchan's Auro is fairly convincing; his costars are as effective as the genre permits. The film abounds with lush music, scenery and fancy editing flourishes in the elaborate

On the tone of Paa: "Pic's light, non-maudlin tone is refreshing, and gains much from Bachchan's ability to create a believable half-child, half-adult character -- who's much smarter than many of his acquaintances -- simply through a nasal, brattish voice, eye movements and lanky gesticulations."On Vidya's performance: "As the rather spoiled, idealistic pol with a wealthy, connected father (Paresh Rawal), Bachchan Jr. is simply OK, largely coasting on the running joke of playing his dad's father. Balan, one of Hindi cinema's classiest actresses, is good as Auro's unapologetic mom, but isn't given much of a role. Ditto Arundhati Naag as Auro's grandmother."Thank you, Variety, for actually telling me what I want to know rather than ranting about Bollywood conventions or asking Abhishek Bachchan to sign your autograph book.