Vidya Balan reveals why she said yes to Paa; says, “I was responding to my gut”

Vidya Balan talks about her film Paa.

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan has given several versatile performances since her debut film Parineeta and continues to do so. One of Vidya's most impactful role among the many groundbreaking characters she has played on screen was in Paa, starring alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan. She played the mother of 12-year-old Auro (Amitabh Bachchan), who has Progeria, a rare genetic disorder that causes fast, premature ageing.

Vidya Balan reveals why she said yes to Paa; says, “I was responding to my gut”

In a recent interview with Humans of Bombay, Vidya said that she had some reservations about accepting the role of Auro's father in the movie with Abhishek Bachchan. Vidya said, “I took forever to say yes to that film, because when Balki came to me, firstly I thought, ‘What kind of story is this? He’s mad’. And why would he come to me to play Amitabh Bachchan’s mother? That was the only script that I shared with a couple of my friends. Because once the initial shock had worn off, I realised that it’s a great script.”

She continued by saying that after her first apprehension subsided, she was all in. She further said, “As an actor, I wanted to jump at it, but I wanted a few people to read it tell me what they thought. And they all said, ‘My God, you must do this.’ But it took me a while to say yes. It wasn’t a calculated decision. But I was responding to my gut.”

On the professional front, Vidya has carved a niche for herself in women-centric films and achieved success. Some of these movies include, The Dirty Picture, Kahaani, Tumhari Sulu, Shakuntala Devi, Sherni, etc. She was last seen as a TV journalist in the Amazon Prime Video film Jalsa, featuring alongside Shefali Shah, Rohini Hattangadi, Manav Kaul and others. She will now be seen in Neeyat and another untitled movie directed by Shirsha Guha Thakurta.

Also Read: Vidya Balan recalls handling an unsettling incident where director called her to meet in a room; says, “I got thrown out of that film”