Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 7, 2017)

As she works towards wrapping up Bollywood projects for the year, including Reload, Judwaa 2 and Drive, Sri Lankan actress Jacqueline Fernandez is set to return to her home country to promote her debut film, According To Matthew, there.

Set to hit the screens in June, the film is based on the true story of Father Mathew Peiris, the Anglican priest of the Church of St Paul, the Apostle in Colombo, who was convicted of the double murders of his wife (Eunice Peiris) and Russel Ingram, the husband of his mistress, in 1979. It is directed by Chandran Rutnam and was shot in the island country.

A source close to the actress says, “The film had been in the making for some time since it was announced in 2015 and Jacqueline is understandably excited that it is finally ready. Her schedule is packed with back-to-back Hindi film shoots and other commitments, but she is ensuring she promotes According to Matthew well because it’s her first Sri Lankan film.”

The actress confirmed this, saying, “Yes, the film releases in June and I will be there (in Sri Lanka) for it.”

Jackie’s Sri Lankan debut coincides with the launch of her first restaurant in Mumbai with bestie Mishali Sanghani who owns a popular café in Palli Hill.

Jacqueline Fernandez dismisses link-up rumours, isn't insecure about hero-centric projects
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 23, 2016)


Just after Housefull 3 opened in June, Jacqueline Fernandez flew off to Miami to shoot for Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK's untitled Bang Bang sequel. The rumour mills were buzzing then about the Sidharth Malhotra-Alia Bhatt breakup and there were speculations in plenty about the 31-year-old actor's growing closeness with Jackie. Alia and Sid are now back together and Jackie brushes off all the gossip, saying, "Obviously people want to believe what they want to and will write what they want. I'm an easy target because I'm single. There is no point in clarifying anything."

For her the shoot with a "chilled out" Sid was lots of fun with parties, a visit to Disneyland with her nephew and water sports. "I wanted to get a tattoo done but then realised that it might stop me from all the water fun," says the 30-year-old actress who is looking forward to the second schedule in September.

But before that she has two releases coming up. There's Rohit Dhawan's buddy cop thriller Dishoom in which she plays an aide to Varun Dhawan and John Abraham who are on the hunt for an abducted cricketer. "My character, Ishika, is fearless and integral to the story," she informs. This will be followed by A Flying Jatt with Tiger Shroff as a turbaned superhero and Jackie playing the damsel in distress.

She is not insecure that both are hero-centric films. For her it's all about being a part of good projects. "My parameters for choosing a film are: a good role, an interesting script and a great team to work with," she says.

Like Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra, Jackie too would like to foray into Hollywood but for now is concentrating on her next English film, According To Matthew, filmed in her home country. "It's about events that happened in Sri Lanka in the '70s. It revolves around a priest and a girl who falls prey to his powers. It's my first portrayal of a real life character and will release in September in Sri Lanka, followed by a few festival rounds," she informs.

Meanwhile, buzz is, she's been offered David Dhawan's Judwaa 2 and Sajid Nadiadwala's Kick 2. Considering that Jackie and Sajid have collaborated on five films to date, including Housefull, Housefull 2, Kick, Housefull 3 and Dishoom, has it become imperative for her to oblige her producer buddy every time? "I'm not obliging Nadiad, I've worked with his banner since I came into the industry and feel blessed. He isn't someone who will offer me something just for the heck of it, he's a fantastic producer," she protests.

And what kind of a rapport does she share with Salman Khan? She points out that he's someone who has always supported and encouraged her. "He's definitely a mentor, friend and well wisher," she says shortly.

And bestie Sonam Kapoor? How come she's not a part of the girl gang in Rhea Kapoor's next production,Veere Di Wedding? "It's not a big deal when two actors are friends but when it's two actresses, everyone's going, 'how'. Hey, we are two normal human beings and I was aware of Veere Di Wedding since day one and the final cast (Kareena Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Tiku Talsania's daughter, Shikha) is spot on. Rhea really knows what she wants and a buddy film like this is what our cinema needs. I'm really excited about it," she bubbles.

She's equally excited about her stint as a judge Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 9 in which she has performed on a medley of her songs. "There's a sense of responsibility because of the contestants standing in front of you. It's going to be a long journey but I am looking forward to it," she asserts.

Jacqueline owns a restaurant, Kaema Sutra, in Sri Lanka and would want to invest in one in Mumbai as well. But admits that acting requires a lot of time and energy and she doesn't want her attention to shift to anything else right now. "But a couple of years down the line, I might be ready to flirt with travel, documentaries and even movie-making," she says enigmatically.

DNA (September 27, 2015)

Jacqueline Fernandez’s upcoming Sinhalese film According To Matthew will be dubbed in Tamil, and she is looking at brushing up her language skills. Says her spokesperson, “Since Jacqueline hails from Sri Lanka, she does understand and speak Tamil. However, she will be sharpening her language skills under the guidance of a coach. Her film will be dubbed in Tamil for the Sri Lankan market as the population consists of Tamilians as well and the makers want to bank on this.” The film has her playing the mistress of a murderous pastor. Directed by Chandran Rutnam, the thriller is based of the life of Rev Mathew Pieris, an Anglican pastor in Colombo, who was convicted of the double murder of his wife and his lover’s husband.

Hiren Kotwani (DNA; April 24, 2015)

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 24, 2015)

Her Bollywood career is on a high and now Jacqueline Fernandez seems set for a long innings in the fledgling Sri Lankan industry too.

The actress, who is a native of the island country, makes her Sri Lankan debut in According To Matthew, where she plays the mistress of a murderous pastor. Directed by Chandran Rutnam, the thriller is based of the life of Rev. Mathew Pieris, an Anglican pastor in Colombo, who was convicted of the double murder of his wife and the husband of his lover.

And the makers are so impressed with her work that they've already locked the script of their next project, featuring the 29-year-old actress.

"She's got the strut. When we're filming a particular shot, she moves and everything around her falls into place. I have already written another film in which Jacqueline is my heroine," Chandran told Mirror.

Jackky who was last seen in a double role in Roy, has also wrapped up her first Hollywood project, Definition Of Fear and will be seen romancing Australian singer-songwriter Alston Koch in According To Matthew.

"On the first day of the shoot I thought she'd never be able to pull off the role. But as we kept shooting I saw how vulnerable she was. She didn't have a starry attitude." Chandran insists. "Once we set the mood of the story, Jackky knew what was required. But she was also quirky and experimented with her lines," he adds.

The film is slated to release in the UK and USA in July. "The film is set to propel Jacky to that elusive group of serious actors in the English language category. The second film's plot will also be just as thrilling. Unlike, According To Matthew, my next film will release in both Hindi and English," says Chandran.

Jackky meanwhile is hopeful that her presence draws locals into the theatres. "Bollywood dominates theatres in Sri Lanka but I hope that changes soon," said the actress.

Jacqueline Fernandez spent most of 2013 sitting at home waiting for offers that didn't come, before Salman Khan Kick-started her career again
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 7, 2015)