After Jacqueline Fernandez, a.k.a. Jackie, was off the Bollywood scene for a full year, her biggest fear was being forgotten. As she waited for offers, the former Miss Sri Lanka came to realise that beauty just wasn’t enough!
With poor box office response to her first two films, Aladin and Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai, the only memorable performance in her short career was the item number in Housefull (Dhanno) before she was forced to cool her heels for many months before Murder 2 came calling.
“Yes, I was disappointed with the way my career was shaping up. It wasn’t easy for me to come to terms with the fact that I was struggling to get the right projects,” confesses Jackie. “It was as difficult being an outsider to the industry as an alien to the city and the country,” she says, admitting that it was only the presence of close friends that kept her sanity intact.
Her luck changed with the offers for Murder 2 and Housefull 2. “It was amazing that these two movie offers happened one after another,” smiles Jackie. “These films happened at just the right time.”
Jackie getting into the dare-bare zone for Murder 2, after the sweet girl-next-door image in her first two films, raised many eyebrows. But, she says, “I would have been an idiot had I turned down Murder 2. When the film was offered to me by the Bhatts, I knew that it was a huge deal. They have such strong characters written for their women and I too was sure of getting a massive opportunity to perform.”
She adds, “Yes, I won’t deny that I was really worried about how I would be perceived after Murder 2. But sometimes you have to go by your own convictions rather than fears of others’ perceptions. I know what I am doing here.”
The fearful stranger in Bollywood land has come a long way!