Star-studded Paa premiere

Bollywood turned up in style for the premier of Amitabh Bachchan's movie Paa in Mumbai on Thursday evening.

Everybody was curious to watch Big B in the role of a boy suffering from a degenerative condition called Progeria. Plus, there's the fact that the Amitabh's son Abhishek and actress Vidya Balan play his parents. The film is directed by R Balakrishnan aka Balki.

The atmosphere was buzzing with celebrities who checked out the set up at Wadala's Imax theatre which was done up like a school complete with people dressed up as peons and watchmen. There were even replicas of school buses.

Amitabh, Abhishek and his wife Aishwarya Rai played hosts during the glittering night.

Dressed in a black suit, Abhishek thanked all the members of the media and audience who have appreciated the work by AB Corp. "We had put in a lot of effort and getting such a great response means a lot to us. Thank you," he said.

Standing beside him clad in a sari was Aishwarya who seemed excited as her husband.

Among the invitees were the 3 Idiots gang of producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra, director Rajkumar Hirani and Aamir Khan. Aamir's co-stars in 3 Idiots, Shraman Joshi and Madhavan came with their wives.

Aamir hugged Amitabh and the two shared a brief tete-a-tete. "I've seen the promos and Amitji's getup is wonderful and exciting. It is a very difficult role and I wish the entire team all the best," Aamir told the media.

Echoing Aamir's sentiments, Shah Rukh Khan, who came with wife Gauri and kids Aryaan and Suhana said, "I loved the promos. Even my children loved them which is why we're here to watch the film. It is amazing to see how Amitji has done the role."

A surprise guest at the premiere was Ben Kingsley, best known for his Oscar-winning title role in Gandhi.  He came with wife Daniela.

The British actor who is in to play yet another historic Indian role -- Mughal emperor Shah Jahan -- was full of praise for Amitabh.

"Paa is going to be full of surprises and since it is an Amitabh Bachchan film, it is going to be wonderful. I have worked with him in Teen Patti and am waiting to see this new disguise. This is a very different role for him and I'm very excited to see the film," he said.

He also spoke on his movie which he says will go on floors soon. "The whole world is going to love it. I wanted to make an international film on India for everyone to enjoy. No one has been cast yet from India to play Mumtaz. Once the director and producer are ready, we will have a huge conference to let you all know the status of the film," he added.

We caught a glimpse of Vidya Balan who says she is confident and proud of being a part of Paa.

"It is unbelievable to play Amitabh Bachchan's mother. I very really fortunate because there have been many successful actresses who have played his mother but I can proudly say that I am the only one who has played mother to a 13-year-old Amitabh Bachchan," she smiled.

As for Balki, he hopes that people will like the film. "I am very numb and don't feel any nervousness or excitement because Amitabh Bachchan is awesome. He is outstanding in Paa," he said.

Meanwhile, Akshay Kumar and his wife Twinkle were also spotted at the event.

Among those who can't wait to watch the film are Imran Khan who says Amitabh's look is unbelievable, and Gulshan Grover, who applauded Amitabh for putting up with the tedious make-up and prosthetics which made his extreme transformation possible.

Imran came with girlfriend Avantika Malik.

For Dia Mirza, watching Paa is one of the most profound moments of her life. "I can't wait to see Mr Bachchan as Auro," she said adding that his look "is incredible" and that no one but him could have pulled it off.

Kangana Ranaut too had only praise for Amitabh. "This is by far the most challenging role Amitji has done. The way he has portrayed a kid is amazing."

Also spotted at the event were Hrithik Roshan and wife Suzanne.

Equally excited to watch Amitabh's transformation are Shamita Shetty and Ayesha Takia Azmi.

"Amitji has done so many different characters in this career but I am sure this was by far the most challenging," Shamita said.

The others who made it to he premier included Ajay Devgn and wife Kajol, Hema Malini, Zeenat Aman, Randhir Kapoor, the Ambanis, Jeetendra, Ranbir Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh, Hurman Baweja and director duo Abbas-Mastan.