A
night
after
the
National
Award
for
his
performance
is
announced,
Amitabh
Bachchan
has
hardly
slept.
His
phone
is
jammed
with
enthusiastic
greetings
from
well-wishers
and
fans.
"I'm
trying
to
delete
the
messages
on
my
phone.
I
didn't
know
the
National
Awards
were
going
to
be
announced
on
Wednesday.
My
office
had
put
in
the
applications
for
the
awards.
They
were
keeping
an
eye.
I
was
resting
at
home.
Abhishek
called
me
in
the
afternoon.
He
was
shooting
far
away.
He
said,
'You've
done
it.'
I
heard
him
and
went
back
to
sleep."
It
was
only
when
wife
Jaya
came
with
the
news
that
it
sank
in
properly.
"She
was
very
excited.
Far
more
so
than
me.
She
told
me
Paa
had
got
four
National
Awards.
That
was
what
got
me
up
in
a
hurry.
She
was
more
excited
for
Abhishek
for
having
won
his
first
National
Award
and
that
too
as
a
producer.
Abhishek
took
us
through
the
film's
course,
supervising
every
detail.
And
then
he
also
acted
in
Paa.
I
thought
he
performed
very
well."
What
was
Big
B's
reaction
to
his
award?
"One
just
hopes
there
will
be
directors
who
will
continue
to
make
films.
One
doesn't
work
for
awards.
If
my
tally
of
National
Awards
has
gone
up
to
4,
I
consider
myself
lucky.
The
main
charm
is
to
find
projects
that
challenge
me."
Looking
back
a
day
after
the
triumph,
Big
B
can't
get
over
the
audacity
of
playing
his
own
son's
son.
"When
Balki
came
to
me
with
the
idea
I
laughed
out
aloud.
But
as
an
actor,
I'm
always
attracted
to
something
challenging.
Once
I
accepted
the
challenge
of
playing
Abhishek's
son,
my
problem
was,
now
what?
Once
the
makeup
happened
I
was
convinced
I
could
do
it."
Post
the
National
Awards
for
Paa,
there
is
a
clamour
to
bring
the
progerian
hero
back
to
life.
However,
the
Big
B
will
hear
none
of
it.
No
matter
how
popular
Big
B's
Auro
might
be,
he
is
not
inclined
to
carry
the
progerian
legacy
forward.
The
danger
of
exploiting
physical
challenges
looms
large
over
the
aura
of
Auro.
Says
the
Big
B,
"First
of
all
Auro
died
in
Paa.
So
I
don't
think
it's
logical
to
revive
him.
Secondly-and
this
is
my
personal
opinion-
it
does
not
seem
very
ethical
to
commercially
extend
the
reach
of
a
physically
challenged
character.
I
think
any
further
commercial
exploitation
of
the
theme
would
be
unethical
and
insensitive."
This
is
the
Big
B's
second
National
Award
for
Best
Actor
in
a
film
about
a
physically
challenged
child.
Apparently,
the
script
that
Balki
came
to
the
Big
B
with
was
very
different
from
what
was
shot
in
Paa.
Concedes
the
Big
B,
"Jaya
and
I
have
been
working
for
years
with
physically
challenged
children.
We
support
their
cause
emotionally
and
financially.
Whenever
we
interact
with
such
children,
we
are
constantly
reminded
by
their
teachers
and
trainers
not
to
sympathize
with
them.
Even
the
use
of
the
word
'handicapped'
is
objectionable.
Both
Balki
and
I
felt
we
must
keep
Auro
away
from
being
seen
as
handicapped
because
that
word
is
like
an
abuse."
The
original
script
was
radically
different
from
what
was
shot.
Reveals
the
Big
B,
"When
Balki
first
narrated
the
story
to
me,
he
had
a
completely
different
take
on
it.
I
thought
it
could
be
taken
to
another
level.
I
thought
it
was
the
easiest
thing
in
the
world
to
milk
the
plight
of
a
physically
challenged
child
and
make
him
sympathetic.
He
scrapped
his
first
version
completely.
The
greatness
of
Balki's
final
script
was
that
it
did
not
exploit
the
child's
illness.
I
was
keen
to
show
Auro
as
a
happy
normal
person."
There
were
arguments
between
the
Big
B
and
his
director
on
how
to
end
Paa.
Says
the
Big
B,
"I
wanted
Balki
to
end
the
film
when
Auro
smiles
at
his
father
from
his
deathbed
and
dies.
But
Balki
wanted
to
continue
the
story.
He
wanted
Auro
smiling,
laughing
and
dancing
at
the
end."
Even
as
the
fourth
National
Award
rolled
into
the
Big
B's
life,
he
gets
ready
to
spend
the
next
few
months
on
the
Hot
Seat
for
Kaun
Banega
Crorepati.
It's
a
melee
of
excited
guest,
phone
calls
messages
at
the
Bachchan
residence
Jalsa.
You
tell
him
that
the
National
Awards
committee
decided
on
him
for
Best
Actor
without
any
dispute
and
the
Big
B
brushes
away
the
comment,
"I
don't
know
about
that.
I
don't
work
for
awards.
I
think
I
am
driven
by
the
desire
to
get
more
and
more
opportunities.
We've
very
intelligent
young
filmmakers.
I
hope
they
continue
to
pose
challenges
for
me.
At
this
age
it
is
a
little
tough.
Balki
is
working
on
something
that
will
again
take
me
to
another
level."
For
now,
Big
B
gets
busy
with
Kaun
Banega
Crorepati.
"We've
started
recording
episodes.
Telecast
starts
in
October.
Then
it
goes
on
to
November.
While
doing
KBC,
I'll
start
a
film,
Rajkumar
Santoshi's
Power."