She
came,
she
shot
and
she
sneaked
out
of
Mumbai
on
Friday
night
on
a
flight
to
New
York,
traumatized
by
the
experience
of
making
a
film
on
the
life
of
a
sex
worker.
Lucy
Liu
came
and
shot
her
30-minute
film
entitled
Meena
for
ten
days
in
Mumbai
and
tried
to
sneak
out
of
Mumbai
on
Friday
night
as
quietly
as
possible.
Says
a
source,
“Lucy
shot
her
film
right
until
Friday
evening
then
rushed
to
the
airport
to
escape
all
media
attention.
She
had
to
return
to
New
York
for
another
film.
Then
she
had
to
edit
her
Mumbai
film
entitled
Meena
and
submit
it
by
mid-2010."
According
to
an
actor
in
the
film,
“Lucy
is
painfully
shy
of
the
press.
Plus
this
was
her
first
film
as
a
director,
and
it
was
on
a
very
sensitive
subject."
Lucy"s
film
was
on
the
subject
of
prostitution.
According
to
a
source,
“The
film
inspired
by
Meena"s
tale
as
told
in
the
book
'Half
The
Sky" is
about
a
real-life
sex
worker
Meena
Haseena,
who
at
the
age
of
10,
was
abducted
from
her
village
in
Bihar
and
brought
to
Mumbai.
Meena
grew
up
in
a
brothel.
After
escaping
from
the
brothel,
Meena
made
it
her
life"s
mission
to
help
as
many
of
her
sex-worker
colleagues
to
escape
from
a
life
of
prostitution
as
possible."
The
irony
that
moved
Lucy
Liu
was
that
Meena
couldn"t
manage
to
rescue
her
own
daughter
from
a
life
of
prostitution.
Says
an
actor
from
the
film,
“It
took
Meena
14
years
to
rescue
her
own
daughter
from
prostitution.
As
Lucy
shot
this
sensitive
film,
she"d
often
burst
into
quiet
sobs
in
corner.
The
real
story
is
so
searing
and
brutal
we
all
were
traumatized.
There
was
a
13-year
old
girl
playing
Meena"s
daughter.
And
the
ambience
was
especially
sensitive
for
her.
You
can"t
blame
Lucy
for
wanting
to
finish
shooting
and
leave
quietly."
Tannishtha
Chatterjee,
who
plays
Meena
Haseena,
met
the
real
Haseena
several
times.
Says
the
source,
“Meena
was
a
consultant
on
the
project
throughout.
Tannishtha
and
Lucy
met
Meena
several
times
and
Meena
was
on
the
sets
supervising
the
proceedings."
For
the
sequences
showing
Meena's
daughter
Naina"s
rescue
attempts,
Tannishtha
had
to
perform
several
dangerous
stunts,
climbing
up
walls
jumping
down
buildings,
running
and
slipping
as
she
was
chased
by
goons."
Says
Tannishtha,
“All
I
can
say
is,
I"m
battered
and
bruised
both
emotionally
and
physically
after
doing
the
film.
Working
with
Lucy
Liu
and
that
too
on
a
project
of
very
high
realism,
just
shattered
me."