Jaqueline Fernandez on Sex Appeal

Success has finally come to the actress who started off with the lukewarm Aladin followed by disastrous Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai. “It’s been a long and patient journey,” she begins. “Aladin was a good launch pad; unfortunately it didn’t do well at the box office. The industry can be ruthless if your film doesn’t do well, or if you don’t have the right friends, or hang out with cool people. But now with Murder 2 being a success, I’ve noticed a change in people’s attitude,” says the actor who will appear in the Tamil film Mankatha.

She knew the role in the Mahesh Bhatt's thriller Murder 2 was small. “In fact, when I heard the narration I liked the other girl’s (played by Sulagna Panigrahi) role.” While her sexiness is the USP of her role in Murder 2, she doesn’t fear being stereotyped in similar roles. “Honestly, I don’t think I’m conventionally beautiful. I can be glamorous with make-up, hair and clothes. But I’m average looking.


“At times, I look ugly too. There are many girls out there who are stunning. So I’ll have to depend on my acting skills to stay in the game,” she observes. “I need to be comfortable in front of the camera before moving into experimental roles. Though Murder 2 was experimental in a way, some scenes demanded performance. That scared me. I don’t know how good an actor I am, I’ve never been to a drama school. But I don’t want to be dubbed a bad actor.”

The actress has her sights set on bigger and better stuff. But she’s practical too. She knows her limitations and yet she’s ready to go beyond them, she tells me when I enquire if she sees herself portraying a character like Rani’s in Black or Kareena’s in Omkara. “Maybe the sexy image was needed to carry my career forward,’’ she reasons. ‘‘I see myself depicting stronger characters in the future. But yes, it will scare me to death to do a performance like Rani’s. But I guess with preparation I’ll pull it off.” She wants to work with Aamir Khan and that’s not surprising. “I’ve worked with him in a commercial. I’m in awe of Aamir. I like his vision, his take on cinema and how he executes it. I like Vishal Bhardwaj’s work too. I like quirkiness in directors.”

With her family back in Sri Lanka, Jacqueline has slowly found her groove in Mumbai. “My family worries a lot about me. They know staying in Mumbai all alone is not easy,” she says. “If I belonged to this country or if I were comfortable with the language, things would have been different. I’m 25 now but I feel I’m so much older because of all I have gone through, tackling so many issues.


Growing up fast
“I manage my career, travel on my own and pay my own taxes. But all this has helped me mature as a person, become more aware.” The ex Miss Sri Lanka confides her journey has been an eye opener. “There have been ups and down, stress and respite, happiness and sadness too. It’s a difficult industry to be in if you don’t have someone to fall back upon, someone guarding you or protecting you. It can make you vulnerable. At the same time your success is sweeter, if you’ve done it on your own.” She adds, “I can’t share my feelings with my parents because they wouldn’t understand. And you can’t depend on people you work with either. You can only trust yourself. I realised that things eventually fall into place.”

She’s cautious enough not to trample on anyone’s toes or hurt anyone’s ego. ‘‘You don’t want to do anything which will jeopardise your career. There are people in position who can make others turn against you and make things difficult for you. You do feel like a victim then. It’s difficult not to make enemies in the industry. You have to protect yourself.”

Jacqueline denies ever having encountered the casting couch. “Is it a myth?” she counter enquires. “I’ve experienced no such thing. What helped me was I got Aladin soon after coming to India.” She however adds, “As much as such things happen, it can also arise from a person who’s desperate enough for work. I knew it was not worth going into that zone. Those who intend to take advantage realise this especially with the media being so active now. It would be too much of a risk.”  She adds, “I’ve always had work. I never had to run for money. And even if I were going through difficult times, I’d never exude that kind of a vibe.”

She goes on to say she’s a private person. “I’m not best friends with anyone. I’m a little cautious. I prefer keeping things to myself.” She’s fond of her industry friends though. “I’m friends with everyone I’ve worked with — Riteish Deshmukh (Na Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai), Sujoy Ghosh (director of her debut Aladin), Sonal Sehgal (Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai …), Milap Zaveri (director of Jaane Kahan…). They’re people I enjoy spending time with.’’ She however is miffed by the stories that appear about her in print. “This lovely story was written about Sujoy buying me a car. Where the hell do such stories come from?” she asks exasperatedly. “If it’s just about me then I can handle it but if there are other people involved it affects me. It makes things so unnecessarily uncomfortable. There’s no chance to explain yourself or clear the air. But if it’s a story with someone I know well, like Sujoy or Riteish (Deshmukh), we laugh it off.”


Rumour has it...
A lot has also been spoken about her friendship with Riteish. “Ritesh is very special to me. I made my debut opposite him. He was in my second film too. Apparently, he has also helped her in her career. “Riteish is someone who respects the fact that I like to get things on my own merit. I’ve never got anything on his recommendation. When a song in Housefull (Apni toh jaise taise) was offered to me, he had no idea. I called him up and informed him. I wouldn’t like it if he interfered or stuck his nose into my work. I know what I am worth and how hard I have worked. It’s nice that he respects that.”