Not here to make friends

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Jacqueline Fernandez, who is still fairly new to the industry, is slowly but surely learning the ropes of Bollywood. Her last appearance was in an item number where she was featured with ace dancer and choreographer Prabhu Deva in his directorial venture Ramaiya Vastavaiya.

Recalling the experience, Jacqueline says, “I have done an item number in the past. I love dancing and I would like to believe that I am not bad at it. But the thought of dancing with Prabhu Deva was daunting. A lot of people from the industry including friends and colleagues told me not to do the item number with him, as there were chances of me falling flat on my face. But now I am relieved and happy that I went ahead with it because I have received good reviews about the song and my desi look in it.”
While professionally things are going great for the young actress, on the personal front it has been uphill for her lately. Jacqueline has recently come out of a long relationship with filmmaker Sajid Khan. The actress, who had been getting a lot of career advice and guidance from her ex-boyfriend, is now completely on her own. “I don’t really have anyone to consult. No star sibling, parent or a godfather. I am responsible for every decision I make,” she says. But despite a relationship that ended on a sour note, Jackie says she hasn’t lost faith in love.
However, as of now, it’s her career that is keeping her busy. After sharing screen space with superstars like John Abraham and Saif Ali Khan in Race 2, Jacqueline seems to have hit another jackpot with a film opposite Salman Khan, for which she is preparing currently. Their film Kick is yet to commence but she is already dealing with rumours about things not being well between her and Salman. Jackie denies having had any tiff with him. “I have never had the chance to interact with Salman at length. I don’t think there are any differences. He has his do’s and don’ts when it comes to work and we all should respect that. I’d like to clarify that he never turned down the idea of doing an intimate scene with me as such. He had mentioned that he isn’t comfortable doing intimate scenes on screen. That is his style and image, which he wants to retain. It wasn’t because of me that he opted out from doing the scene. Conveniently, people put two and two together and spin yarns,” Jacqueline says.
In Bollywood, equations don’t take long to change. We ask Jacqueline what she thinks of the fallout between her ex-beau Sajid Khan and Sajid Nadiadwala. But she doesn’t oblige, saying she’s not comfortable speaking for others.
About herself, she says, “Like I said, I don’t have a film background. I am not here to make friends. My focus is to find acceptance as an actor. In the process, if I do end up making friends, I’ll ensure that I value and retain their friendship.”