The Bollywood Samachar: November 2009

Saturday, November 21, 2009

I would prefer a son like Abhi: Vidya Balan

Vidya Balan, who plays Amitabh Bachchan's mother in Paa, was so impressed by Abhishek's caring behaviour towards his father during the shooting that she confesses she would like to have a son like Abhishek in real life.

"I would prefer a son like Abhishek. I have seen him with his father on the sets... he was so nice to his father that I was touched," Vidya told reporters here Saturday.

Director R. Balakrishnan's Paa is an emotional story of a father-son relationship and Amitabh will be seen as Abhishek's 13-year-old son Auro who is suffering from a rare disease progeria, that accelerates ageing. The film releases Dec 4.

"The film is all about Auro and all through the film there is a certain sensibility about Auro, but no sympathy is shown towards the 13-year-old progeric child in the film," said Vidya.

When the director approached her for the role, she wasn't sure about playing the mother of a progeric child. "Initially, I wondered how to do the role as I didn't have that motherly instinct. But while working on the film I realised what motherhood is," said Vidya.

She says playing Amitabh's mother wasn't difficult at all. "I was a bit concerned initially but it was smooth sail once we started working together."

Asked if it wasn't a risk to play a mother so early in her career, she said: "I didn't see any risk, rather it was a lifetime opportunity to get to work in such a wonderful film."