'Thought R Balki Had Lost It, Sounded Absurd': Vidya Balan Recalls Her Reaction To Playing Amitabh Bachchan's Mother In Paa

Actress Vidya Balan, who was last seen in the horror-comedy Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 alongside Kartik Aaryan and Tabu, recently opened up about her initial reaction to being offered the role of Amitabh Bachchan’s mother in the 2009 film Paa. Recalling the unconventional casting, where Abhishek Bachchan played Amitabh’s father, Vidya admitted she initially thought it sounded 'absurd.'

'Thought R Balki Had Lost It': Vidya On Being Offered To Play Big B's Mom

She revealed that she even believed director R. Balki had 'lost it' when he said he wanted Abhishek and her to play Big B's parents.

Speaking to Filmfare, the actress shared, "Then he read me the script of Paa, and something shifted. I kept revisiting it and the actor in me kept saying, “Do it.” I was scared, though. Everyone warned me that playing an older woman would end my career. But I got a writer and an ad filmmaker friend to read it, and both insisted I do."

Vidya added, "That’s when I stopped listening to the noise and started listening to myself. I’d already done films that didn’t speak to me. Though they worked, I hadn’t enjoyed them. I never wanted to feel that disconnect again."

Paa Story

The film tells the story of Auro (Amitabh Bachchan), a boy with a rare genetic condition called progeria, and his relationship with his parents (Vidya Balan and Abhishek Bachchan).

Paa Cast

Paa also starred Paresh Rawal, Arundhati Nag, Satyajit Sharma, Sachin Parikh, Prateek Katare, Taruni Sachdev, Olivier Lafont, Aalekh Kapoor.