Amitabh Bachchan BigB: 11/05/09

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Amitabh Bachchan spends below Paa Rs 150 mn budget

Amitabh spends below Paa's Rs.150 mn budget

New Delhi, Nov 5 (IANS) Expensive make-up and creative inputs by industry stalwarts notwithstanding, megastar Amitabh Bachchan has managed to produce his much-awaited movie "Paa" within a set budget of Rs.150 million.

The movie, about a child suffering from progeria - a rare disease of premature ageing among children, has been produced under Amitabh's production banner AB Corp.

Discussing the film's budget, the 67-year-old posted on his blog bigb.bigadda.com: "I think we set out to make this film with certain definite plans. It would not be a penny over the Rs.15 crore (Rs.150 million) budget we had decided upon; indeed it is nominally better than that - it's Rs.14.75 crore (Rs.147.5 million)."

Amitabh plays Auro, a progeria-afflicted child in the movie, while his real life son Abhishek essays the role of his father. International make-up artists had been roped in to take care of Amitabh's look for the film.

The actor wonders whether producers who project a "modest amount" of Rs.50 crore-60 crore for their films, realise that "films of such high budget dimension need to do twice (more business) and more in returns at gross box office in order to get a net benefit to bring home".

"A Rs.60 crore film would be required to do a gross twice the amount if not more. Print and publicity add on extra money and by the end of the day the film must perforce do close to Rs.150 crore in order to break even and make money. Does the market have the capacity for such returns," he asks.

However, the actor, whose production company incurred losses after making films like "Tere Mere Sapne" and "Mrityudaata", says money matters are "mundane" and "irritating".

Paa is an emotional film Director

Paa' is an emotional film: Director

Mumbai, Nov 5 (IANS) The film "Paa", in which Amitabh Bachchan plays a patient of a rare disorder called progeria is not an educational movie, but in fact an "emotional story about a father and son", says director R. Balki.

While promoting the film along with its stars Abhishek Bachchan and Vidya Balan at an Andheri cinema hall here Wednesday evening, Balki said: "This is a family drama where incidentally Amitabh Bachchan, who is suffering from progeria, plays the role of Abhishek's son. This movie is not about educating people on progeria."

"It is an emotional story about a father and son."

Progeria is an extremely rare condition of early ageing. Those born with progeria typically live about 13 years, although many have been known to live into their late teens and early twenties.

Asked about the film Abhishek -- Amitabh's son in real life -- joked: "Amitabh was a very troublesome child all through the film."

Asked how she felt playing Amitabh's mother in the film, Vidya said: "I was very apprehensive."

Balki revealed that he wanted a very unconventional look for Amitabh in the movie.

"I wanted to remove every bit of Amitabh Bachchan we know and wanted to build an absolutely new character," he said.

Talking about the make up Amitabh had to put on during the film Abhishek said: "It used to take four hours to put on the make-up and two hours to remove it."

Balki revealed that the script was written keeping Amitabh in mind.

"It's not that I wrote a script and then thought of casting Amitabh, rather I wrote it keeping him in mind," said Balki.

He said that Amitabh not only looks like a 13-year-old boy in the film but also changed his voice and mannerism to fit the role.

Abhishek has been in the film industry for a long time but "this is the first time I am working for my father's production house", he revealed.

"Paa" is releasing Nov 13.

Specially designed clay pieces form my look in Paa Amitabh Bachchan

Specially designed clay pieces form my look in Paa Amitabh

New Delhi, Nov 4 (IANS) Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who plays a 12-year-old progeria patient in "Paa", says he had to stick on several pieces of specially crafted clay to get the right look for the movie.

The actor couldn't wait to upload the first poster of the film on his blog bigb.bigadda.com Wednesday, and wrote at length about what went behind his look of a child suffering from progeria, a rare disease that causes premature ageing among children.

"The face that you see is the result of deep research. Kids affected by this problem lose all their hair, become bald and their veins begin to show prominently on their heads, which enlarge to a size beyond normal. Their teeth and eyes suffer also...," posted Amitabh.

To get the special look for the character, director R. Balki roped in international make-up artist Stephan Dupuis, who did Robin Williams' make-up in "Mrs. Doubtfire".

"The prosthetic process is arduous...Around eight pieces specially designed through laborious clay models are most meticulously stuck on to the face. Once the make-up starts, it is impossible to move even a few centimetres. Eating and drinking has to be avoided and you cannot talk because it displaces the pieces over the contours of the face. Separate pieces form the entire look," the actor posted.

The 67-year-old went on to add how the head and ears were one unit and came on as a helmet with the ears being add ons. He says his hearing used to be impaired when the make-up was applied as silicone covered his own ears.

"Two small holes are bored into the skull so some sound can go through. Also when you speak it reverberates inside the skull and you constantly feel you are inside a tunnel with pronounced echo," he said.

"Eye lids come on close to the eyes, the forehead is another piece, the nose, the two cheeks, the upper and lower lip, the chin and finally the neck all get stuck on and then blended through an intricate electronic spray which merges all the pieces to look like one cohesive mass," added Amitabh.

The actor says that since they wanted the look to be authentic, he also had to shave off all hair on his hands, arms, chest and legs regularly so they could highlight the veins by colouring them.

"Paa" is being produced under Amitabh's banner AB Corp and also stars his son Abhishek. In a role reversal of sorts, Abhishek plays Amitabh's father in the film.