Vidya Balan cheers for differently-abled children

Kolkata: Actress Vidya Balan left spellbound to see a dance-performance by children suffering from cerebral palsy during a charity event here.

"Please forget everything else about us. Today we are before you only as dancers," said a kid from Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy (IICP) before starting the performance. As the children started swinging their hands to the tune of the inspirational song `Aashayein`, the entire audience including Balan were left mesmerised. "It really touched my heart," said the `Kahaani` star, who was here for a fund-raiser organised by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce to help children with disabilities. A congenital disorder, cerebral palsy causes physical disability in human development in various areas of body movement. Balan, 35, who had donned the role of a brave mother in `Paa`- a film based on a rare genetic condition progeria, said she does not think of herself as a social activist after putting her weight behind various women and children issues. "I don`t think I see myself as an activist at all. I am an actor first and the more I focus on my acting the more I can leverage attention on issues," she said. PTI