Strong and sexy Actor Tannishta Chatterjee believes in doing roles with substance

Strong and sexy

Actor Tannishta Chatterjee believes in doing roles with substance

Actor Tannishta Chatterjee, who is in the forefront of alternative cinema is all set to make a special appearance in a children’s film Jalpari. Directed by award-winning director Nila Madhab Panda, the film tackles the issue of female foeticide. Set in Haryana, the film depicts the dwindling boy-girl sex ratio and the concept of ‘imported’ wives wherein guys from Haryana get wives from Bengal because of the paucity of girls in that area. Tannishta plays the role of an ‘imported’ wife. Says the actor, “The little girl Lehar Khan, is the protagonist, but I feel strongly about this issue and wanted to be a part of it.” As for tackling the sensitive subject in a children’s film, the actor feels that kids these days are mature enough to understand it. “In the film the 11-12 year old girl is shocked to see that she has no girls to play with and is also discriminated against because she is a girl. She is indignant because she feels she can do everything that a boy can do and that’s how the subject unravels,” says Tannishta, looking forward to its release by the end of this month. After Jalpari, the actor will be seen in Jal, which makes a strong statement about water crisis and its repercussions in the Rann of Kutch. “It’s based on how environmentalists are concerned about flamingos who have stopped visiting because of water shortage. But ironically, they are not bothered about saving human beings, who are struggling for survival there,” says Tannishta, who plays one of the tribals alongside actor Purab Kohli. Since the film was shot in Rann, the actor had to shoot in 55 degrees of soaring temperature. Though initially uncomfortable, she soon adapted to the harsh environment. “Instead of a vanity van, we told the producer to provide us 10 coolers, so that we could adapt to the heat and shoot for 35 days without any hitch,” reveals the actor, who feels the film is worthy of international film festivals. In fact, being acclaimed at global festivals or films is nothing new for the actor, who won accolades for her performance in the British film Brick Lane and will soon be seen with actor Jude Law in director Joe Wright’s Anna Karenina. She’s also signed two cop-gangster films BMW, in which she plays a young bar singer and Monsoon Shootout, a film that gets into the criminal’s mind. Then there’s Bhopal – A Prayer in the Rain, which she says will bring back the memories of the world’s worst gas tragedy. Her only commercial film outing is with Sunny Deol in I Love New Year. “Though I am Sunny’s love interest, I play a strong female part, who doesn’t take nonsense from anybody,” smiles Tannishta.