Director almost scrapped 'Paa' due to Bachchan's 'scary' look tests
What's the story
R Balki, the director of the critically acclaimed film Paa, recently disclosed that he nearly gave up on the project due to difficulties in making Amitabh Bachchan look like a 12-year-old boy.
The film stars Bachchan as Auro, a child afflicted with progeria—a rare genetic disorder that leads to rapid aging in children.
Speaking to the YouTube channel Cinemaz, Balki opened up about Bachchan's look test for the role.
Look test challenges
'This is scary. What do we do?'
Balki and his team did the look test in Hyderabad, where Bachchan was shooting for another project.
The director remembered his first reaction on seeing Bachchan on set, "This is scary. What do we do?"
Despite the worries, cinematographer PC Sreeram stayed optimistic and went ahead with the shoot setup.
But when the set was lit up, Balki was even more scared about Bachchan's look: "He is looking even uglier than before."
Director's dilemma
'Because he is 6'2 and he is big...'
Balki confessed he underestimated the task of turning Bachchan into a child, considering his height and size.
"Because he is 6'2 and he is big, and I had not thought he is a child. Which child is 6'2?"
He added they didn't have the technology or budget to digitally shrink Bachchan's size back then.
This mistake was termed a "big blunder" by Balki.
Film's fate
'I think we need to call this film off...'
The look test process irritated Bachchan, resulting in a tense exchange between him and Balki.
The director remembered telling Bachchan bluntly that his look wasn't working: "Amit ji, it's looking f_ckall, it's looking so bad, it's scary."
After this, Balki thought of scrapping the film and spoke to Sreeram about it. But Sreeram found a top angle that made Bachchan smaller on camera.
They subsequently shot from a top angle throughout the film.
Film's success
'Paa' garnered 4 National Film Awards
Despite initial hurdles, Paa was a resounding success.
The film, which also starred Abhishek Bachchan and Vidya Balan, won four National Film Awards including Best Actor for Big B.
Other awards included Best Supporting Actress for Arundhati Nag, Best Feature Film in Hindi, and Best Make-up Artist.
Paresh Rawal and Satyajit Sharma were among the supporting actors.