<p> "I am happy that I am getting strong character roles. When I was younger I was the leading man for which you have to look good... woo a leading lady... there is a villain. Now because of my age I can't do these roles. Not being the leading man anymore gives me freedom to experiment with different roles and looks," Bachchan said in an interview.<br /><br />The 67-year-old actor plays Auro in 'Paa', a 13-year-old child suffering from progeria, which accelerates ageing.<br /><br />Bachchan has also done the role of 'genie' in film 'Aladin' and a ghost in 'Bhootnath.<br /><br />"It is very challenging to be offered these kind of different roles. For an artist every day is a challenge and it is good to try out different genres. Earlier, it was said that you are doing the same kind of films and now I am told that there is a lot of experimentation," he said.<br /><br />'Teen Patti' has Bachchan playing Venkat, a Mathematics professor, 'Rann' will see him as Vijay Harshvardhan Malik, a media baron and 'Johnny Mastana' has Big B as John Pereira, an elderly man on a journey of self discovery and penance.<br /><br />But the most challenging role in the actor's four decade long career seems to be enacting the role of a child, where his father's role is played by none other than his real life son Abhishek Bachchan. <br /><br />"It was a challenge to get into the make up and playing the role of a child. The make up made life easier while playing the character," Bachchan said.<br /><br />The veteran actor had to undergo a five-hour-long make-up process to get the look of the character.<br /><br />"I had my grand children and other kids of that age to observe how they behave in a particular manner," he said.<br /><br />Bachchan said Balki made him go through medical journals and discuss the progeria syndrome with various doctors.<br /><br />"We found a lot of material on how children affected by this ailment look like and what happens to their physique. We finalised a face and worked on how a person of my age would look like that," the actor said.<br /><br />Christian, an Oscar winning Hollywood makeup artist who has worked on films like 'Lord of the Rings' was roped in to change Bachchan's face.<br /><br />"A cast was prepared and the face was made through prosthetics. We took liberties with the height. I believe that people who come to see my film are aware of my height and if I were to shorten myself it would have looked impractical and not too genuine," Bachchan said.<br /><br />"We shot from a particular angle, used different lenses to make me look a little short when I was with Abhishek. Also, the teeth are false and I changed my voice to sound like a 13-year-old, hopefully," the actor said.<br /><br />'Paa' produced by AB Corp and Big Pictures has been made at Rs 15 crore budget and will release on December 4.<br /><br />"Make up comprised a major chunk of the budget, but it is creditable that we completed the film within the set financial target," he added.</p>
<p> "I am happy that I am getting strong character roles. When I was younger I was the leading man for which you have to look good... woo a leading lady... there is a villain. Now because of my age I can't do these roles. Not being the leading man anymore gives me freedom to experiment with different roles and looks," Bachchan said in an interview.<br /><br />The 67-year-old actor plays Auro in 'Paa', a 13-year-old child suffering from progeria, which accelerates ageing.<br /><br />Bachchan has also done the role of 'genie' in film 'Aladin' and a ghost in 'Bhootnath.<br /><br />"It is very challenging to be offered these kind of different roles. For an artist every day is a challenge and it is good to try out different genres. Earlier, it was said that you are doing the same kind of films and now I am told that there is a lot of experimentation," he said.<br /><br />'Teen Patti' has Bachchan playing Venkat, a Mathematics professor, 'Rann' will see him as Vijay Harshvardhan Malik, a media baron and 'Johnny Mastana' has Big B as John Pereira, an elderly man on a journey of self discovery and penance.<br /><br />But the most challenging role in the actor's four decade long career seems to be enacting the role of a child, where his father's role is played by none other than his real life son Abhishek Bachchan. <br /><br />"It was a challenge to get into the make up and playing the role of a child. The make up made life easier while playing the character," Bachchan said.<br /><br />The veteran actor had to undergo a five-hour-long make-up process to get the look of the character.<br /><br />"I had my grand children and other kids of that age to observe how they behave in a particular manner," he said.<br /><br />Bachchan said Balki made him go through medical journals and discuss the progeria syndrome with various doctors.<br /><br />"We found a lot of material on how children affected by this ailment look like and what happens to their physique. We finalised a face and worked on how a person of my age would look like that," the actor said.<br /><br />Christian, an Oscar winning Hollywood makeup artist who has worked on films like 'Lord of the Rings' was roped in to change Bachchan's face.<br /><br />"A cast was prepared and the face was made through prosthetics. We took liberties with the height. I believe that people who come to see my film are aware of my height and if I were to shorten myself it would have looked impractical and not too genuine," Bachchan said.<br /><br />"We shot from a particular angle, used different lenses to make me look a little short when I was with Abhishek. Also, the teeth are false and I changed my voice to sound like a 13-year-old, hopefully," the actor said.<br /><br />'Paa' produced by AB Corp and Big Pictures has been made at Rs 15 crore budget and will release on December 4.<br /><br />"Make up comprised a major chunk of the budget, but it is creditable that we completed the film within the set financial target," he added.</p>