Vidya Balan says she was scared, warned against playing Amitabh Bachchan's mother in Paa: ‘Thought R Balki had lost it’

Vidya Balan recalled how she convinced herself to play Amitabh Bachchan's mother in Paa after everyone warned it would end her career.

Bollywood actor Vidya Balan played the role of Amitabh Bachchan's mother in Paa—a decision she was strongly cautioned against. As she completes 20 years in Bollywood this August, Vidya reflected on that moment of uncertainty in an interview with Filmfare and shared how she eventually embraced the role in R Balki’s film.

Vidya Balan reacalls her reaction when she first got to know R Balki wants her to play Amitabh Bachchan's mother in Paa.

Vidya Balan says people warned her against playing Big B's mother in Paa

Vidya recalled her initial reaction upon hearing that R Balki wanted her to play Amitabh Bachchan’s mother in Paa, "I thought R Balki had lost it. He said he wanted Abhishek (Bachchan) and me to play Mr Bachchan’s parents. It sounded absurd. But 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.”

She added, “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 it. 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.”

About Paa

The 2009 drama, directed by R Balki, features Amitabh Bachchan as Auro, a 12-year-old boy suffering from a rare genetic disorder called progeria, which causes accelerated ageing. In a unique reversal of real-life roles, Abhishek Bachchan plays Auro’s father, while Vidya Balan portrays his mother. The film was both critically and commercially acclaimed, earning several awards including the National Film Award for Best Actor (Amitabh Bachchan) and Best Hindi Feature Film.

Vidya was last seen in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, co-starring Kartik Aaryan, Triptii Dimri, and Madhuri Dixit. The film was a box office hit, grossing ₹389 crore worldwide. While she has yet to announce her next project, her debut Bollywood film Parineeta will be re-released in select cinemas across India for one week starting August 29.