Remember Abhishek and Amitabh Bachchan's role reversal in Paa? The film released on this date 10 years ago, Abhishek Bachchan reminded us with a lengthy Instagram post. "Paa. 10 years already. This first film I produced. It would not have been possible without the conviction of this mad visionary called R Balki," read an excerpt from his post, in which Abhishek also revealed he wasn't too convinced about his role in the film and didn't even want to give it a shot. "Not many know, I didn't want to act in the film (wasn't convinced about my role) Balki and I were shooting an ad together and he spent the day convincing me. After hours of badgering, in an attempt to just get him to stop - I said yes!"
The interesting storyline of Paa features Amitabh Bachchan as a 12-year-old boy Auro, who suffered from a rare genetic disorder called progeria and Abhishek as his father. Vidya Balan plays Auro's mother and the cast also includes names like Arundhathi Nag and Paresh Rawal. "It turned out to be such a fun and memorable experience. I'm so glad he had the tenacity and belief in my capabilities to relentlessly pursue me. His conviction in me and his ability to steer me through this journey is something I will never be able to repay him for or thank him enough for. I'm so proud of this film," Abhishek added in his post.
Abhishek reserved a special section in his post for dad Amitabh Bachchan and his co-stars: "To my Auro. My Paa. For having faith in his son to firstly play his father and then allow him to produce an Amitabh Bachchan film! To Vidya, Arundhathi ji, Paresh ji and the rest of the cast for being flawless and so supportive. I owe you all so much gratitude (coz I'm sure I signed all your cheques). And lastly to the audience for seeing the film and making it such a success. Forever indebted."
Paa went on to win four National Film Awards including a Best Actor award for Amitabh Bachchan and Best Supporting Actress award for Arundhathi Nag.
