The Times of India
It was nothing short of a fairytale trip to London this time for Tannishtha Chatterjee. A call from Joe Wright to star in his adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina and then being in the august company of stars like Keira Knightley and Jude Law - it was truly a lifetime experience for the actor who is now back in Mumbai.
Says Tannishtha, "I had met Joe earlier when he wanted to do "Indian Summer". Joe remembered me from those days. I'm overwhelmed by the respect that he has for an artiste's talent and that's why he called me up when he found that there was a character whom I could portray in his adaptation."
While working with Keira and Jude was quite an experience, the actor is contract-bound not to reveal any details about her on-screen or off screen interactions with the stars. "Not just the stars, this film has such an impressive crew. There are so many Oscar and BAFTA winners in the unit and it's a huge learning experience for me. Tom Stoppard, who has written the screenplay of this movie, had won an Oscar for "Shakespeare in Love" and has BAFTA nominations too. The movie's costume designer, Jacqueline Durran, had won the BAFTA for "Vera Drake". When you get to work with such people, you grow so much."
So, has she recorded the lullaby that Anoushka Shankar has composed for the movie? "Oh! Yes. Anoushka is such a wonderful person. She wrote the lyrics herself. The lyrics are in Bengali and I know it will come as a bit of a surprise to many who are wondering how they will fit into an English movie based on a Tolstoy classic set in the 19th century. For the global audience, the Bengali lyrics will give a sweet feel. Instead of going into the specifics of the language, it's the softness of Anoushka's composition that will appeal to everyone. Anoushka is good fun to work with and I met Joe and Anoushka's son, Zubin, on the sets too."
When she was in London, Tannishhtha met her "Brick Lane" director - Sarah Gavron. "Sarah and I were discussing about doing "AK". She explained to me the difference between doing "AK" and any other project. Every movie is very important for an actor but doing an adaptation of a classic and that too one written by Tolstoy in a landmark in an actor's career."
Even a century later when people talk about the many on-screen adaptations of "AK", there will be a mention of this Joe Wright film along with the others including the one with Greta Garbo. "When I think that I am a part of an adaptation of a classic, I feel privileged. That's the beauty of a classic - "AK" will immortalize me," she says.
Right now, Tannishtha is busy filming a number of projects. There is Aditya Bhattacharya's movie titled "Bombay's Most Wanted" and a film with Sunny Deol titled "I love NY". "It's a crazy schedule for me now. I was shooting in Mumbai when I had to leave for London. I came back and didn't even have time to get over my jetlag before I resumed shooting in here."
While the London leg of Tannishtha's shooting of "AK" is over, she will be joining the unit in January. "I am looking forward to shooting with Joe again. It's amazing how Joe's vision has total clarity and the way he decides on camera movement and blocking. Before we go on the sets, he
gives out a list of shots that we have to shoot. This sense of discipline is something any actor would love to imbibe. I am no exception," she signs off.
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