'Paa' - Not Progeria
Progeric children appear normal at birth but soon become victims of premature ageing. There is no cure for progeria; the disease is progressive and fatal.
‘Paa’ is a modern movie with a different concept! In this film, Amitabh Bachchan, in a rare role reversal, plays son to Abhishek Bachchan, his real-life son!
What is new one may ask-after all they are actors playing a part!
In ‘Paa’ Amitabh dons the role of Auro, a teenager, with Progeria- a disease that has not yet stirred the interest of the visual media.
Abhishek Bachchan, meanwhile, has gone overboard emphasizing that the movie is not about Progeria but about Paa- son bonding! But why can’t the movie be about Progeria and about drawing the attention of the masses to this ill- known disease? Whatever the intention of the film, the audience would definitely leave the theatres more enlightened (about a less- known illness) than they were, when they arrived to watch the film.
"When I look in the mirror, I see a person like no other person around me. I see someone who is bald, no front teeth, no eyebrows, no eyelashes, and pointed ears. I want people to look at me and see past my looks and see who I really am. Not a freak but a wonderful human being who loves life and his fellow man. Although my looks are so different, I did not choose to look the way I do or to have a life that could be over tomorrow. I am just here to love life."
- Jason Ellison, a 15 year old victim of progeria
