It's merchandising time for Paa

After the release of Paa, merchandise connected to the film"s young protagonist Auro played by the Amitabh Bachchan, is being planned.

For the first time his younger fans will have Big B merchandise including dolls to play with. The producers AB Corp Ltd plan an 'Auro" blitzkrieg to connect the character with children across the world.

While a series of Auro merchandise are planned for after the film"s release, on Children"s Day, Mr. Bachchan as Auro will come on television with a very special message for children.

Confirms the director, “We"re most definitely targeting Paa at children and parents alike. Mr. Bachchan"s Auro is a special child suffering from an extremely rare age-hastening disease. Auro could"ve easily become lonely isolated or abandoned. Paa shows how special 'special" kids can be. It has a message on parenting rather than any disease. When your child is born with a special impairment you need to make him feel special, not unwanted or isolated."

In what could be the first campaign-oriented big-budget Bachchan starrer, Paa promises to bring into focus the parent-child relationship in a series of television campaigns. There are now plans to do special shows of Paa to collect funds for the Progeria Research Foundation.

Says Balki, “We really had no concrete plans to tie up with the Progeria Foundation. Though our protagonist suffers from the disease the film is not about Progeria. It"s about how special children can fill your life with special brightness. Not for a minute does my protagonist"s special condition qualify his relationship with his parents. That"s why we avoided pitching Paa as a Progeria project. However we"d be more than happy if our film proves helpful to children who suffer from the rarest-of-rare diseases."

A special show in aid of the Progeria Research Foundation is now being planned. Says Balki, “We"re still to work out details since we hadn"t really planned any Progeria events Paa. We"re definitely holding a charity screening of which the proceeds will be given to the Progeria foundation in the US."