Jacqueline Fernandez on bouncing back in the game with Mrs Serial Killer
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; May 2, 2020)

After Race 3 (2018), Jacqueline Fernandez had been missing from the scene, barring Drive (2019) sporadic appearances in music videos with Badshah and Bigg Boss contestant Asim Riaz. So where has she been all this while? "For now, I am at a farm far away," she laughs, alluding to spending the Coronavirus lockdown at Salman Khan's Panvel farmhouse. "On a serious note, I went through a period where I needed to reinvent myself."

The actor considers Mrs Serial Killer, the crime thriller that dropped on Netflix yesterday, her first step in "rebooting myself." "I have always done mainstream films, and was tired of playing chirpy and superficial characters. I was keen to attempt something dark and complex. So when Shirish [Kunder, director] said that Manoj [Bajpayee] would be my co-star in Mrs Serial Killer, I jumped at the idea."

Fernandez admits she was a bundle of nerves on the first day of shoot. "I was excited as well as petrified about working with Manoj. Going by his films, I felt he would be a strict actor. But we had a great time on the set. I had to unlearn several things while working with him."

Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; April 29, 2020)

Jacqueline Fernandez has been spending the lockdown away from the concrete jungle of Mumbai, at her actor friend Salman Khan’s farmhouse in Panvel. The actress, who had to extend her stay at Khan’s lush-green property due to the Coronavirus lockdown, says that she’s never enjoyed being in the lap of nature so much.

Her excitement is visible in her social media posts, where she’s seen petting horses and doing yoga on the lawns. She tells BT, “At the farm, I ride horses, swim, run and do yoga to keep myself fit. Being amidst nature has never felt so good. This lockdown has helped me devote more time to activities that I enjoy. This includes reading, too.”

Though she is in the company of some of her closest friends, Jacqueline is missing her parents in Sri Lanka. “Earlier, I wouldn’t be so much in touch with them, but lately, I have been spending a lot of time with them, though virtually,” she shares, adding that she is also missing her four Persian cats — Yoda, Loki, Miumiu and Xyza — who are at her home in Mumbai.

Once life is back to normal, Jacqueline will resume shooting for the John Abraham-starrer, Attack. “I am eagerly waiting to get back to shoots, get dressed and have fun… I am missing all that,” she signs off.

Juhi Chakraborty (HINDUSTAN TIMES; April 3, 2020)

Life has been thrown completely out of gear amid this Coronavirus pandemic, and with travel being out of question, people are unable to meet their families who are stuck in different countries. Jacqueline Fernandez, too, is in a bit of misery, as her parents live in Bahrain and she can’t be with them.

“I wanted my parents to be with me right now; I’m concerned about their health,” shares Jacqueline as she talks about her father Elroy and mother Kim.

The actor of Sri Lankan origin adds that she feels people, who have their parents by their side at present, are rather “lucky”. She explains, “Right now, they need all the love, care and attention. They are vulnerable, and we need to be there for them.”

Further, sharing an update on the other members of her family, the 34-year-old says that her sister in North Carolina, USA, is having a very tough time. “The supermarkets there are completely out of stock, there are no products and medicines. My brothers, who are in Australia, are sorted as they are in a remote part in the country,” she shares.

The actor has been keeping busy with the help of social media and is sharing workout videos and her piano skills. “It took me some time to realise what was happening and the first week was difficult. I felt a bit lost thinking about what I would do. However, I figured that I may not be able to go on a film set but I have my audiences and a platform and I decided to be as creative as possible,” she shares.

As told to Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 14, 2019)

I was working with a modeling agency and one day I was told that a director from Bollywood wanted to meet me. He was looking for an actress to play Jasmine in his fantasy action adventure Aladin. Since I couldn’t even speak Hindi at the time I was sure they would throw me out during the very first meeting. I walked into the office casually, confident this meeting wouldn’t go anywhere. To my surprise, I ended up playing Aladin Chatterjee’s (Riteish Deshmukh) ladylove in the Sujoy Ghosh directorial.

Acting was something I always wanted to do. Around then, Katrina Kaif’s films had worked well despite someone else dubbing for her and she’d paved the way for many of us. I had five months to prep and watched a lot of Hindi films.

I started my career on a huge set in Mumbai’s Film City. I had to just walk into a store and buy the magic lamp which, when rubbed, released a genie called Genius. Sujoy eased me in, by ensuring that I didn’t have to speak on the first day. To be honest, I had no idea what I was doing during the initial days of the shoot as I had no acting background and no formal training. I also did not have the backing of a film family. The only person I could talk to was Sujoy, but even that made me super nervous. I was making a lot of mistakes and even got shouted at occasionally.

As the days passed, I noticed how Amit ji (Amitabh Bachchan) would come to the set, well prepared, and taking a leaf out of his book, I started painstakingly reading three passages a day in Hindi. I also worked on my diction and dialogue delivery. I started rehearsing my lines, researching stuff written in the script and even improving my dance. When I entered the industry, I couldn’t dance and had to work really hard on my steps. It was embarrassing back then!

Amit ji helped me a lot, we bonded on fitness. I had washboard abs and that amazed him. We’d discuss the industry, how it was like in the 1970s and ’80s and the like. Later into the shoot, he would scare me by throwing a line at me and saying, “Let’s rehearse.” It was intimidating! And I would react in the worst possible way.

But working in Aladin with Sujoy, Riteish and Amit ji helped me learn the importance of prep and the experience proved handy with future films like the Housefull series, Race and Kick.

After a self-imposed sabbatical, Jacqueline Fernandez reveals her game plan
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 31, 2019)

Mirror had earlier reported (May 31) that Jacqueline Fernandez had taken a break to take acting lessons at the Ivana Chubbuck Studio in Los Angeles, from which Hollywood biggies Charlize Theron, James Franco, Brad Pitt, Halle Berry, Gal Gadot and Gerard Butler have graduated. It has been six months since and the actress is back in the race.

“We actors always want to be in the limelight, but it’s nice to take a step back, get a perspective on what’s working for you and the trends,” she reasons, admitting that while many of her frat are too scared to take a step back, it’s important for her to live without the fear. “Now, when I sign a new film, it won’t be because I’m insecure but because I’m excited about the project.”

She acknowledges that there was a phase when she was skeptical about challenging herself as an actor. “I was hesitant because I wasn’t confident I’d be able to do justice to the part. But today, having trained myself, I’m open to experimenting with different roles and genres,” she avers, quick to add that commercial Hindi films will always be a part of her filmography as they are fun and challenging in their own right. “As long as you believe in what you do, you can give it your 100 per cent.”

Jacqueline regrets having missed out on a brilliant script earlier by a really good director. “I always thought I worked better in the commercial space, so, I was hesitant. Sonam (Kapoor) encouraged me to take on the challenge, but I didn’t do the film,” she sighs.

Opening up about future projects, she informs that she will kick off an action film in January. “It will be announced with the actor soon. Then, there’s Kick 2 which rolls next year. “Nadiad (producer Sajid Nadiadwala, who made his directorial debut with Kick in 2014 and will helm Part 2) is writing the script now. The earlier film was a game-changer for me. I’m sentimental and emotional about Kick. We’ll give the sequel our 200 per cent to make it bigger and better,” she promises.

Kick 2 will mark the third collaboration for Jacqueline and Salman. She’s in awe of her co-star: “Salman’s reach is so huge. Working with him is like going to film school, you get invaluable lessons while on the job.”

A woman-centric action film, which she is producing, is also in the pipeline. “We have zeroed in on something interesting and are locking the logistics. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a couple of years. We should have things in place by early next year,” she reveals. After Rohit Shetty’s cop-universe brought together Ajay Devgn, Ranveer Singh and Akshay Kumar to fight against a common evil, can she see a franchise led by three women? “Sonam has already set a trend with female collaborations, I hope they happen frequently. I’ve worked well with Deepika (Padukone) in Race 2, Nargis (Fakhri) and Lisa (Haydon) in Housefull 3. So, I’m open to such films,” Jacqueline beams.

She was to play the lead in the official adaptation of The Girl On The Train, but eventually stepped out, making way for Parineeti Chopra. “Her first look was brilliant and Parineeti will do an amazing job. It was not the film for me at that point. It’s important for me do films I absolutely want to do. It’s important that I don’t get insecure and sign films just for a release or two,” she signs off.

Juhi Chakraborty (HINDUSTAN TIMES; October 30, 2019)

Looking at her decade-long filmography, one can say that actor Jacqueline Fernandez, who made her debut with Aladin (2009), has had an eventful stint in Bollywood so far. And now the actor’s career takes a fresh turn as she ventures into the popular web medium with not one, but two projects.

And Jacqueline is very pleased with her roles in both the projects as well as the variety in other offers coming her way of late. “There is a huge change in the film industry in terms of roles for women also because of the advent of the digital medium. Content has a much wider variety, now there are many more roles for everyone. I am excited about it and glad that there is a shift. I see new, different scripts coming my way and interesting things that didn’t really come to me earlier,” she says. The one drawback? “It is difficult to choose now,” rues the Murder 2 (2011) actor.

The 34-year-old also seems to have slowed down — her last release, Race 3 (2018), was the only film she did last year. Jacqueline says she has been consciously choosy about her work. “I have to be careful about where I put my time and energy. This year has been amazing for me as apart from doing interesting films and scripts, I also took the time out and did a lot of training, something I really never got the time to do before,” she says.

Being part of the industry for so long, the actor also feels it is crucial to constantly reinvent herself, something she strives to achieve.

“Actors are creative people, they get bored very easily. I can speak for myself. It happens to me. If I am not constantly reinventing, then I start to feel very demotivated and not very inspired. And inspiration is the most important thing for us in this field,” Jacqueline asserts.

Other than her web ventures, the actor is also all keyed up about the sequel to Kick (2014). While Kick 2, also starring Salman Khan, has been announced, it has been in the works for quite a while now. “That’s because the director really wanted it to be perfect. It is an amazing script. I am happy to be a part of the sequel [of a film] which catapulted my career. It is great to be working again with this dream team,” she adds.

Pooja Sharma (HINDUSTAN TIMES; October 14, 2019)

Women empowerment is a cause close to Jacqueline Fernandez’s heart. In her previous interview with HT, the actor shared how she would like to see women across the world take gender prejudice head on. Jacqueline has now become one of the faces of the women’s liberation movement in Saudi Arabia. She features in an advertisement at KSA airport. Jacqueline says that it’s important for nations to promote equality for their people. She is also gung ho about her upcoming work on the digital platform. Excerpts:

You are the first Bollywood actor to become one of the faces of women’s liberation movement in Saudi Arabia. In what ways has the country progressed?
I don’t consider myself to be the face of women’s liberation movement in Saudi Arabia. There are many great women who I think are more deserving of that title. It’s an honour to have my picture at KSA airport! Saudi Arabia has progressed in many ways in recent times. It’s important for countries to retain their cultural identity, but I do think Saudi Arabia is consciously moving towards greater freedom for all its citizens. In the times of economic and technological advancement, every country could do more to promote equality for their people.

Have you also received film offers or dance show offers in Saudi Arabia?
I was invited to perform in Saudi Arabia as a part of the Da-Bangg The Tour. I would love to bring the show to this remarkable country.

With two of your upcoming movies releasing on an OTT platform, do you want to focus on the digital medium now?
I love the digital platform. It has such exceptional content to offer. It’s more accessible for people and I think everyone should have access to art and entertainment. I will always love films, so it would be great to maintain a balance between both the mediums.

Are you ready to go for a non-glamorous look for a role or even physical transformation?
It would depend on the role. I am not against doing something gritty and less glamorous. If it’s the right opportunity, I would absolutely consider doing something different and unexpected.

Would you, at any point, also want to do a sports centric movie? Do you also follow any sport?
The achievements of sportswomen are under-recognised. I would love to celebrate them on screen. I grew up in Bahrain where Formula 1 racing is huge. I have a soft spot for it. However, I love all things athletic and have a lot of respect for professional athletes.

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; July 21, 2019)

Jacqueline Fernandez is one of the most active B-Town stars on social media, with a huge following on Instagram (30.4 million) and Twitter (13.9 million). Now, the Race 3 actress is going a step ahead and launching her YouTube channel today. We spoke to the social media influencer about the idea behind it and also what is in store.

What prompted you to launch a YouTube channel?
The idea is to create a space and platform for myself to promote positivity. I will also give people an insight into what it’s like and what it takes to be a commercial actress in Bollywood. I will share with them whatever I have learnt and am learning along the way.

What are the aspects that you will be covering?
Everything from my life. The day I start, I will vlog my travel adventures, cover experts who I meet with in my field, especially fitness and beauty, because that plays a pivotal role in my life and the industry I am in. It will help motivate and inspire people.

Will you be doling out tips on beauty and fashion?
Yes, not only those aspects but also on being happy, overcoming fear, living your dreams, on travel and fitness.

Can we expect other celebrities on your channel?
Definitely. Being from the industry, I have so many contemporaries and friends, who will come and share their stories. My audience will like to know, hear and see them.

How often will you upload new videos?
I am looking at once a week or 10 days per video.

Will you share tidbits from behind-the-scenes of your film set?
Actually, that is something I will be doing less of. People have seen so much of that on my Instagram. Besides, the BTS of magazine shoots, red carpet and films are already available on YouTube. I am going to give something that people haven’t seen of mine, the BTS behind the BTS (laughs)!

What about inviting fans on your channel?
I would love to, that’s a fantastic idea. I want to keep it interactive. There will be an open comment page on the channel, where I will pop out some questions and answer any inquiries they have.

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; June 21, 2019)

Jacqueline Fernandez is an ardent follower of yoga. The actress discovered this spiritual and physical form of exercise a decade ago when she came to India. On International Yoga Day, the lissome lass shares how this unique workout is the perfect stressbuster for her and why people should make it a part of their workout regime. Excerpts from a chat with her...

What are your thoughts on having a particular day to celebrate yoga?
I am so glad that yoga has become a source of celebration. You should commemorate it by taking a buddy along with you or get a group, a little community to do yoga while listening to some nice yogic music.

When did you start practising it?
Yoga was actually one of the first exercises that I did after coming to India. I used to go to the Western Railway Colony on Carter Road, Bandra and practise yoga in a group, outdoors. This was 10 years ago, and I have continued ever since. Though I don’t do it consistently, it’s one exercise I turn to when I need a little bit of peace and calm in my life. At the same time, it strengthens and heals my body.

Is there a certain kind of yoga that you follow?
The good thing about yoga is that there are different types of it. When I need to calm down and concentrate more on a balanced mind, I do a certain type of yoga. When I feel like raising my energy levels a bit, I do Ashtanga Yoga. For me, it’s not just about the kind of yoga you are practising, it’s actually about how well you are connecting yourself to your body.

How has it changed your life?
Yoga has had a huge influence on me. For me, it was the first realisation of what I could do with my body. I felt that I was gaining flexibility and strength from it. All of a sudden, it made me understand that our body is really a product of what we push it to do. That’s a cool and an optimum realisation to have for any person. Because it goes beyond what your body can do, it is also about your mind.

Is there any asana you prefer doing?
The headstand, for sure.

Is there any particular asana which you aspire to do?
The scorpion asana. That’s extremely difficult, but I am working on it. You have to first do the handstand and for that, your back needs to be extremely flexible.

Is yoga a part of your daily routine?
It’s not a part of my routine per se, but it’s a part of my regime, which consists of many things. I do strength training, cardio, dance, and yoga is also a part of it. So, it varies — I might do it once a week or throughout the week depending on what type of exercises I feel like doing.

What would you advise people who want to start doing yoga?
I would say it will be the most fulfilling journey you undertake for yourself. Firstly, don’t look at it as an exercise. Understand the benefits that come with the different kinds of workout. Secondly, it’s a process, so be patient with it.

Jacqueline Fernandez on taking acting classes in LA, getting out of comfort zone & learning to express emotions which are alien to her
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 31, 2019)

Her last film released almost a year ago and since then Jacqueline Fernandez has gone missing from the race. Turns out she was taking acting classes at the Ivana Chubbuck Studio in Los Angeles. The lady has trained Hollywood A-listers like Charlize Theron, James Franco, Brad Pitt, Halle Berry, Gal Gadot and Gerard Butler, so it was the place to be for pretty Miss Sunshine.

“Even though I’ve been a part of the film industry for a decade now, I’ve never really studied acting and it wasn’t something I could learn here in a classroom. In LA, Ivana takes on individual students, you grow as a person and your craft evolves,” she informs, saying it was one of her life’s best experiences and something that will come in handy with future projects.

The actress says Ivana is keen to visit India and she would love to bring her to the country so aspiring actors and working professionals can explore different techniques with her. “You never know what works for you till you try it,” she points out knowledgeably.

Back in B-town, Jacqueline wants to take a step back and get a little more experimental with roles but is quick to clarify that this won’t take her away from her commercial Hindi cinema. “That’s me, I love to entertain people, make them laugh, sigh and dance,” she asserts. “But as an actress, I want to discover myself, do things a little differently, add to what I have done before. So, now, it’s all about balancing the two.” Following this train of thought, she has jumped onto the digital platform and is all set to play a serial killer. “The work I’ve done in the past were no-brainers really, I could pull off many of these roles without too much effort. But since the last couple of years, I’ve been looking for scripts that will take me out of my comfort zone, a film that will be on my shoulders,” she admits.

But a serial killer? That’s as far removed as is possible for a happy-go-lucky person who seems to be friends with the whole world. “But that’s the challenge!” she exclaims. “When I’m asked to show emotions like anger, jealousy, sorrow and hatred it gets really tough because there’s nothing to fall back on. That’s not to say that I will go looking to experience them, it’s something you feel intuitively when you play certain characters. That’s the beauty of acting.”

Prod her on what makes her angry and after a reflective pause she says, “I really don’t know, I’ve held it back for so long. I don’t explode or implode but it’s important to understand and portray certain emotions as it will make me more rounded as a performer.”

Meanwhile, her next release Drive has been delayed yet again. Disappointed? “No, I’m not because the special effects need to be done well and that takes time. Both Tarun (director Tarun Mansukhani) and Sushant (co-star Sushant Singh Rajput) have done a great job. Action is my favourite genre and in this case the action is slick and stylised. It will release in a couple of months and you will see,” she says confidently, adding that she regularly goes in for combat training. “It’s a great stressbuster and it makes a woman feel physically strong and powerful. I also learnt weaponery when in LA, how to handle knives and guns,” she makes the surprising revelation. Meanwhile, during Race 3, Salman Khan introduced her to art. How many paintings has she done since? “Just one artwork, I’ve been neglecting art,” she sighs, acknowledging she had an instructor on the set during Race 3, had got herself an easel, paper and paints, and painted a lot. “I will definitely get back to it, I still have my easel. It was wonderfully therapeutic,” she beams.

Another thing she’s been neglecting is her love life. “I have been focussed on work for so long and these things can’t be forced or planned,” she reasons, quick to add that she’s a die-hard romantic. “All actors are,” she concludes with a smile. 

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.

Rachit Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; June 5, 2018)

Lately, a lot of celebrities have been voicing their concern over the growing menace of trolls on social media. They go as far as to say that the negativity on these platforms deters them from expressing themselves freely. Jacqueline Fernandez, who is all set to stun us with some kick-ass action in Race 3, shares her views on social media trolls. She says, “It has become tough being a celebrity today. It’s true that social media has opened up so many doors right now, but there are also a lot of people out there who are depressed and angry, and they use the platform to vent their own frustrations. It’s unfortunate that even they get the same amount of attention, as the good folks out there who just want to be heard. You can’t deny anyone that right.” She asserts that you can’t take trolls seriously, and they draw unwanted attention. “I don’t take trolls or the people creating the memes, seriously. They don’t seem to be making a valid point or even expressing an opinion. They look like jobless people who have nothing else to do in life. I would be insulting myself by giving these trolls any attention,” she explains.

As recourse, Jacqueline has decided to censor her own thoughts. She reveals, “Things can get misconstrued on social media platforms. Certain things that we say or talk about are sensitive and we have to be very cautious. A lot of times, even if I have an opinion, I do not like to express fearing backlash. I feel it’s simply not worth the effort. It’s become so difficult, just to say or do one simple thing. I would rather not take up the daunting task of dealing with allegations, controversies and offending people. I can’t handle all that. If my opinion is going to create all this chaos, I would rather keep it to myself.”

As told to Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 4, 2018)

I did my first modelling assignment at age five for a shop that sold baby clothes but started out as a professional model when I was around 12. I grew up in the small island country of Bahrain and my sister had started doing ramp shows — at the time, modelling was more like a hobby. As kids, we were earning good pocket money, which we were very happy about and never bothered our parents for anything.

But I’d always had this dream of becoming an actress and it lingered in my mind for a while; I had figured it was too far-fetched, and never pursued it. When I had the opportunity to go to the University of Sydney, I took up Mass Communications and set my modelling aspirations aside. At the university, I took up political science and law as I wanted to pursue broadcast journalism and my dream was to be a part of the BBC.

After completing the two-year course, I did my internship in Sri Lanka where I collaborated with my aunt and worked on a television show called No War Zone for a leading network. I got to interview some interesting people, work on the production side and broadcast for a business program that aired as late as 11 pm (laughs). It was fun, we would mainly do vox pops, work on the edit but the main stuff was done by my senior colleagues and I would assist them.

We would report to work at 10 am, sit in the edit meet to discuss stories of the week, after which our group leader would assign us work. I really enjoyed it as we were a part of the group that wanted to know what was going on in our country. Our lunch breaks were great fun too as we would all gather around to eat, and I would bring homemade food cooked by my grandma. After that we would either get out for assignments, work on creatives or do research but most of the times we would just google nonsense. I remember doing that once while the Cannes Film Festival was on and seeing what Ash (Aishwarya Rai) was wearing. At that time, I had no idea about Bollywood.

I did that for about two years. The intention behind becoming a journalist was to tell the truth to the public and spread positivity. But there were times when I would get so disappointed seeing something or reading certain articles, I still wonder why people need to bring others down.

Meanwhile, travelling would eat up a huge chunk of my salary, even though I lived quite close to my office. I made no money as a journalist as I was interning at the time but in Bahrain, when I was about 15-16, I’d made enough money from a couple of ramp shows in a year to be able to walk into a Gucci store and buy the smallest bag on display. I still have it. It was the cheapest one in the store, but it was the first designer label I ever bought. I also bought a pair of earrings for my mom.

I continued to model in Sri Lanka while also interning as a journalist. The modelling industry wasn’t huge there at the time and ramp walks offering decent money were rare to come by. Things changed for me when I won Miss Sri Lanka Universe. I started getting modelling assignments in India and it paved way for a lot of travel and good money. I couldn’t believe I was getting paid so much for one show (laughs).

Also, early on in my modelling career, I started getting film offers. Honestly, I didn’t expect much until I got a call for Sujoy Ghosh’s Aladin which also had Mr Amitabh Bachchan, the biggest superstar in one of the largest film industries in the world. It may have been different from what I initially dreamt of — which is Hollywood — but I didn’t want to let the opportunity get away. Now, I am in love with what I do.

When I look back, it was just following my heart that brought me here. That’s why I feel it’s important for parents to let their kids do what they want to so long as they work hard and become the best at it. I feel blessed that my parents always supported me.