I liked Ally McBeal:Tannishtha Chatterjee

Before leaving India, Lucy Liu invited actor Tannishtha Chatterjee to her Broadway show of God of Carnage when she is in the US for the screening of her Road, Movie at the Tribeca Film Festival
Now that your shooting with Lucy Liu is over, can you talk about the film?
Yes. Filming for Meena is over. Lucy had liked my performance in Brick Lane and when the production house got in touch with me, I suggested that she watch my work in Shadows Of Time too.I was unable to screen test for the movie because I was travelling. When I first got an email stating that I had bagged the film, I was told that besides my acting abilities, the makers also wanted someone who could be a spokesperson for the cause that the project was supporting. Moreover, I���������m closely associated with Apne Aap ��������� the NGO where Meena Haseena now works. The other three short films that are part of this project are set in Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Cambodia, though nothing has been finalised on who will be directing them.
Were you in awe of Lucy when you first met her?
I first met Lucy in Mumbai. Since I was filming in Rajasthan, I wasn���������t quite sure if I���������d be able to return in time for the shooting in Mumbai. I remember the first day I walked into the office, and there she was, sitting at a table where a computer was kept. Since there was a certain degree of uncertainty about when I���������d be able to reach Mumbai, she seemed extremely relieved to see me. She literally jumped with joy, hugged me and said, ���������Ya! She���������s here���������. It was so surreal for me to see her do that. I���������ve been a huge fan of Ally McBeal and have later watched her in Charlie���������s Angels. And there she was, right in front of me, waiting for me to arrive to shoot with her in Mumbai. But I never got to tell her how much I loved her in Ally McBeal.
You���������ve also met Meena and her daughter, Naina, before shooting the film...
Yes. In fact, Lucy and I first discussed how much we should ask about their personal lives. Lucy had met both of them before me. While Meena doesn���������t speak English, Naina is more conversant. Initially, we sat together and there were times when Meena would narrate some incidents which I���������d offer to translate. But Lucy somehow understood what she was trying to articulate even though Meena wasn���������t speaking in English. I also spent some time with them separately. The biggest irony was that though Meena had rescued many trafficked girls, she couldn���������t save her own daughter from the sex trade! Initially, Naina used to hate her mother for that. It was much later that Meena (after she escaped, got married and settled down to rehabilitate sex workers) managed to rescue Naina. Today, Naina is studying film editing and photography in Mumbai.
While doing a film like this, how important is it to meet the real characters?
Lucy and I had discussed whether it���������s good to meet the people in real life on whom we would be filming. I believe that when one is playing historic characters, it���������s still important to imitate their mannerisms. But Meena is more of a generic story that is intended to be inspirational. In order to be sensitive towards the person, one need not imitate her.
You���������ve said that it���������s different to be directed by an actor. Could you elaborate, in the context of Lucy?
An actor understands where the mental blocks and fears lie. Lucy taught me the stunts, and since she has done so many stunts before, she knew where I might get hurt if I got hit accidentally. She���������d insist on me wearing a knee pad and specifically tell my co-actors not to pull me from certain angles. Yet, I did get injured while doing some stunts. Lucy explained that despite protection, she too had sustained multiple injuries and that���������s part of the job because there���������re so many emotions involved while filming such scenes. Since I���������ll be leaving for Berlin soon, I���������ve been told to apply Vitamin E oil to get rid of my scars. Despite this being Lucy���������s first feature film, she is technically very competent. She���������d shoot with three-four camera set-ups without me having to repeat the scenes for close-up shots. It was only for the underwater stunt shots that we had to go in for retakes.
Since this is Lucy���������s first visit to India, are you aware of her impression of India?
Lucy���������s cousin lives in Mumbai. I know for sure that she enjoyed working here. After every shot, she���������d say thank you. I don���������t think Lucy saw India as an exotic place. She is so much of a world citizen that she is neither in awe nor shocked at anything that she saw here. We plan to catch up again when I���������m in the US for the Tribeca Film Festival. She���������s invited me to watch her Broadway show of God Of Carnage while I���������d want her to watch Road, Movie.
You completed the shooting of Meena on Sunday in Lucy���������s absence. Was it difficult?
We missed her but the team was very competent. Initially, we were supposed to shoot in a railway station. But owing to some permission problems, we shot in a bus stop. Earlier too, I���������ve shot films in the absence of directors.
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