Amitabh Bachchan has won four National Film Awards as Best Actor, one of which was for his remarkable performance in R Balki’s Paa. However, the film almost didn’t happen due to a major challenge: Balki struggled to figure out how to convincingly portray Bachchan as a 12-year-old boy. The look tests for the character, Auro, left Bachchan frustrated as Balki took an unusually long time to finalize the appearance. Balki admitted to being shocked by the initial results, describing them as “scary”.
In a conversation with YouTube channel, Balki recalled the hurdles he faced during the making of Paa. He explained that he had extensively researched progeria—the condition Auro suffers from—and even hired a makeup artist from Los Angeles. Despite this preparation, Balki realized he had overlooked a crucial aspect. After writing the script and finalizing details, he and cinematographer PC Sreeram conducted a look test in Hyderabad, where Bachchan was shooting for another project.
Balki recounted how, as soon as Bachchan appeared on set, he turned to Sreeram and said, “This is scary. What do we do?” Although Sreeram tried to improve the visuals with lighting, the results were far from satisfactory. Balki confessed, “Because he is 6’2 and big, I hadn’t considered that a child can’t be that tall. He could act cute, but we didn’t have the technology or budget at the time to digitally shrink him.”
This oversight left Balki feeling it was a “big blunder.” The constant back-and-forth during the look test began to irritate Bachchan, who asked, “Balki, what is happening? It’s all looking fine.” But Balki candidly replied, “Amit ji, it’s looking f*ckall. It’s so bad, it’s scary.” When Balki showed Bachchan the photos from the test, a tense silence filled the room.
In that moment, Balki considered scrapping the film altogether. He consulted Sreeram, saying, “I think we need to call this film off. This is not going to work. It’s an embarrassment. Let’s not waste any more money.” However, Sreeram refused to give up and continued experimenting. He eventually discovered a solution: shooting Bachchan from a top angle to make him appear smaller. With this breakthrough, the team resumed work on the film, and the rest is history.
Q: Kantara: Chapter 1 has achieved massive success. How do you feel about the response? Rishab Shetty: Thank you so much. My heartfelt thanks to the Telugu audience for their immense love and support. The response has been truly overwhelming—just like the original Kantara. I’ll never forget the affection shown by the people of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Read More →
Q: What is the core theme of the film? Kishore Tirumala: The main theme is about what one husband tells other husbands based on his life experiences and the struggles he faced. It is presented in a very entertaining yet meaningful way. Q: You said one question in the film doesn’t even have an answer on ChatGPT. What is that about? Kishore Tirumala: The question asked by the two girls is something every married person has faced at some point. When you hear it, you won’t immediately know how to an
Read More →
Why did you choose Vijay Kanakamedala as the director for Bhairava? After doing several stylish and commercial films, I wanted to connect with the mass audience emotionally. I was looking for a rural, rooted story. This script came at the right time, and I felt Vijay sir could present it with the right sensibilities. Though I’ve done remakes before,
Read More →
Two back-to-back Pan-India hits with Hanuman and Mirai. How does it feel? It’s overwhelming. When success comes, all the hard work feels worth it. Director Karthik Ghattamaneni created an extraordinary film, which inspired me to give my best music. The entire team is thrilled with the audience response. What’s the best co
Read More →
What is Bhadra Kali about? It’s a political thriller revolving around a political mediator caught in scams. Unlike regular films, politics is shown naturally and realistically. Why did you choose this story? Director Arun Prabhu brought an extraordinary script. This being my 25th film, I
Read More →
Just as the rest of us are busy wrapping up the year, Sri Simha, debut hero of Mathu Vadalara, is gearing up to kick start his career in Tollywood. The younger son of famous music director Keeravaani, he has no qualms about answering the tough questions. It looks like the man has earned his spot; read on to find out more. Tell us something about Mathu Vadalara. It’s about a character that is wrongly framed
Read More →
Salman, how is your preparation going for Battle of Galwan? It’s slow. I’m not feeling it yet. But I definitely feel the cold water while shooting in Ladakh. The extreme conditions are tough, but I’ll get there. I know it's going to be worth it. Can you tell us more about the physical challenges you’re facing for the role? The physi
Read More →
What inspired you to make Kubera? Sekhar Kammula: It’s an emotionally rich story about a billionaire and a beggar. Their worlds collide, and that contrast really fascinated me. Was Nagarjuna your first choice for the role? Kammula: Absolutely. He fits the layered
Read More →
How do you feel about your journey from anchor to actor? Pradeep: I feel truly lucky. I got the right opportunities at the right time. From RJ to TV anchor to actor — each step helped me grow. The audience has supported me throughout, and I now feel a strong sense of responsibility. Why did you and your friends decide to produce this film? Pradeep: After my first film, I wanted to work on somethi
Read More →
Yash, can you tell us about Toxic and how it differs from your previous work? Yash: Toxic is not your typical gangster-action film. On the surface, it may look like a usual action-packed movie, but it is layered with depth and psychological themes that explore aspects of human life in a very unique way. It’s an ambitious film, and for the first time, we have shot the film in English as well. While it has elements of action, it brings in a much-needed complexity that people can really resonate wi
Read More →
