Rachit Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; June 14, 2018)

With big hits like Kick and Judwaa 2, Jacqueline Fernandez has carved a niche for herself in showbiz. What makes her a firm favourite with filmmakers is the fact that this Sri Lankan beauty is quick to adapt, keen to learn and has the chutzpah that lights up the screen. With the upcoming Race 3, her career seems to be zooming in the right direction. In a chat with BT, the actress talks about films, inspirations and also, shares a few untold movie industry truths. Excerpts...

You’ve worked in the Race franchise before, but would you say that Race 3 is the biggest film of your career?
It is definitely a huge film. Salman Khan has become a part of the franchise now and Remo D’Souza has taken over the reins of directing the film. They have completely revamped everything and I hope that it becomes the biggest film of my career in terms of numbers as well. (laughs!)

For someone who’s worked in quite a lot of action films before, including Race 2, how different was the experience in Race 3?
I’ve been a part of big action films before, but for some reason, I've never been able to do much of action myself. I remember training a lot for the fencing scene in Race 2. That’s what I love about the Race franchise, there’s so much for every character to do — each of them has a trait that works for them. If in Race 2, I had a fencing scene, in Race 3, it was more about guns and hand-to-hand combat. I have a really interesting vehicle in the film, which you’ll be able to see once the film releases.

Also, the action for the girls is less stylised this time, it's real and intense. Hence, it seems almost masculine. When it comes to girls fighting in films, they usually keep things dainty, but here they’ve made it gritty and dark, which is cool. The only problem with ‘real’ action is that you can’t have body doubles while shooting it. The camera is so close to you that you have to train hard and pull off your own punches and kicks.

The fight sequence between Daisy Shah and you is being spoken about a lot. Tell us about how you shot for it.
Both of us ended up with a lot of bruises and injuries. When you have two relatively lesser-trained individuals like Daisy and me doing action, the face-off is not that easy. You do the best you can, but a lot of time, you end up hurting the other person. We don’t know how to fake a block or land a fake punch, so we ended up getting hurt for real in our limbs and bones.

It was reported that you had picked up a few bruises during the shooting of the song Heeriye, too…
We ended up spending many hours on the pole while shooting for Heeriye. When I learnt pole dancing for A Gentleman: Sundar, Susheel, Risky I had learnt that the max you can train at a stretch is for 40-45 minutes, as it gets tough and intense. But while shooting for Heeriye, we shot non-stop for four hours on the pole. I had a huge burn on my shin and the mark hasn’t gone yet. The steel of the pole literally burnt into the skin of my leg. At the end of it, I had swollen feet, body bruises and my palms had corns from all the clutching and lifting. It happened to me in Judwaa 2 as well, so I guess it’s a good luck charm for me. People always feel being an actress is so glamourous, but it’s a lot of bruises and hard work. It’s anything, but glamourous.

A lot of actresses have ventured into film production and direction. You are an entrepreneur, too. Has the thought ever crossed your mind ?
Honestly, I don’t understand film production and I don’t see myself as a director either. I really love fields like innovation, marketing and PR. You can be as creative as possible in these careers and I feel that’s where my ideas flow. I like the restaurant business, as it has got more to do with my interest in food, world cuisine, travel, hospitality and serving people. For me, to continue being an actor, I need to be inspired in life. The day I stop being inspired is the day I won’t be able to function in this profession any more. This industry and the profession runs only on the fact that you have to be creative. That’s why I love doing things that are completely non-filmi. I know these experiences will eventually benefit me in my career as an actor. Be it horse riding, piano lessons or the restaurant business, these things keep me excited. There are different types of people; some may not need these new experiences to stay motivated or inspired, but I feed off these new energies. It helps take my mind off certain things and that enables me to give my 100 percent to my job. It’s never really been about a Plan B. I don’t work with a Plan B on my mind, as I may end up compromising on Plan A. I don’t go with the thought that I have something to fall back on. It’s either Plan A or nothing. It’s do or die.

You’ve worked with Salman Khan before in Kick (2014) and with Remo D’Souza in A Flying Jatt (2016). How important are friendships and relationships in the film industry?
In the film industry, relationships matter a lot. There’s a delicate union when you get involved in a film. Everything affects everything and everyone affects everyone. Everybody’s energies are affected by the people they work with. If you ask me to work with a person who I know is difficult to work with, I’ll say yes. I’ll give them a chance, knowing that it won’t be easy to work with them, but that’s a challenge I will take up. Honestly, I believe that if you’re professional, you can get along with anybody. That’s the basic of any profession. You just need to bring in good energy and a good attitude. In filmmaking, we’re not just part of a business, but it’s also a creative process. Not just actors and directors, every single person on a film set, whether it’s the stylist, the make-up man, the cinematographer, or the art director, they’re all involved in a creative process. And as their co-worker, it’s your job to bring in the right kind of energy that can sustain and help their creativity. There are a lot of people in the industry who are fun to work with. They might not be the best at what they do, but they make working such a pleasurable experience. So you go into the project thinking, chalo karte hain, something good might come out of this.

Do you think your glamourous image and good looks often deter people from casting you in roles that are realistic and hard-hitting?
Not at all. That’s an excuse some people make if they’re not getting the type of roles that they want. But I feel you’re only hired when you’re good at the job. Being a good actor is the only thing that matters.