Crowned the princess of parallel cinema, Tannishtha Chatterjee is all set to shine in the role of a feisty woman who falls for a man from a different culture portrayed by former cricketer Brett Lee in Anupam Sharma&’s ‘UnIndian’. In an exclusive chat with thestatesman.com, the versatile actor talks about the film especially the experience while shooting intimate scenes with the Australian pacer.

“I never felt he (Lee) was a sports star. I felt as I would with any other co-star. He is very natural in front of the camera. As a person, Brett is very realistic and grounded and that comes across in his performance,” Chatterjee said.

When asked about their intimate scenes in the film, which Lee in an interview recently said was “a bit like facing Curtly Ambrose without a helmet”, the actress burst out laughing and said that the duo had become “good friends” while shooting, so she was absolutely at ease while shooting love scenes.

“He is an easy-going guy and we became good friends… Although, It’s never easy (to shoot intimate scenes), but when you become good friends with someone, it becomes easier.”

“With Brett, there was trust and friendship which made it easier to shoot the love-making scenes. Later, we agreed that, critically and beautifully, it should be done this way to celebrate the love between the characters,” she added.

Talking about her character in the film, Chatterjee said: “She&’s fiercely independent and very much a today’s woman. Well-educated and self-sufficient, she has a high-flying marketing job. She is not looking for a man but just happened to fall in love.”

But more than her character, it was the film&’s script that she loved.

“It’s a very contemporary multicultural story with a very strong woman character. So, that’s what really drew me towards it… It was the script, and Meera’s character that I play,” she said when asked about the reason behind signing the film.

“There are certain hurdles of being a single mother anywhere in the world and I think those aspects are there in the film. But it does not say that you cannot do what you wish to…and that is progressive about the film,” she revealed.

The actress said that the film carried the message that love has no barrier and that you can fall in love with anyone in the world.

“In a globalized world, big cities are becoming more and more multicultural. The film is about the unity of those cultures coming together. It celebrates the unity. It does not talk about violence in a multi-cultural world,” she said.

“There is a lot of unity in cross cultural connections and love is the most beautiful thing that unifies people,” she added.