You don't need to peel much off Paa to feel the Big B breathing life into it. The wit belongs to him, the eyes are his, and the enthusiasm is his. Bring on a bigger crown for the superstar, though - Bachchan's Auro is wider at the top.
However, people - okay, most people - don't pay to watch movies wanting to feel doomed, except if the apocalypse arrives with fanfare, or with anesthetizing song and dance. Auro looks like bad news right from the moment that bulbous wrinkled head peeps in through his school auditorium door. He's a cruel slip-up of destiny, and as long as you're....