Jacqueline Fernandez can finally count herself among the Bollywood glitterati.
Currently in Abu Dhabi to shoot high-adrenalin action movie Dishoom, the Sri Lankan actress has quickly climbed the ladder since her debut in 2009. In the past seven years, she has regularly featured in lead roles alongside some of the Hindi film industry's hottest stars in big-budget blockbusters ranging from thrillers to comedies.
In an exclusive interview with The National, Fernandez, 30, talks about her experience of filming in the capital, working out with her Dishoom co-stars – Bollywood hunks John Abraham and Varun Dhawan – and her plans for Valentine's Day.
How action-orientated is your role in Dishoom?
There are lots of high-octane chases that I’m a part of along with John and Varun. The character herself is quite rebellious – she’s a girl on the run. But I don’t do any fighting.
What is it like to work with John and Varun?
This is my third movie with John. We have such a great comfort level and he’s so easy to work with. With Varun, this is my first film. Off set, we goof around. On set, he’s a great energy to feed off.
Varun told us that on previous Dishoom shoots, you gave him and John a couple of Zumba lessons. Have you all had time to practise your moves in Abu Dhabi?
We haven’t, really. The first few days here, we woke up at 4am and only got back to our hotel at 7pm. We don’t want to get too tired, so I haven’t brought up the Zumba. But we have been pretty much hitting it up at the gym. That’s one of the things I love about this crew. John is an encyclopaedia of nutrition and fitness. When you have him in the gym, it’s really inspiring because he tells you what you need to be doing in your workout. It’s like having a fitness trainer. Varun and I are like two good students – we’re like, “OK, John, tell us, what now? What do we eat after this?” He even gives us protein shakes.
We hear you are working on a new book about skin and diet secrets.
When you’ve been in the film and glamour industry, you learn a lot about health, beauty and fitness, because it’s a really important part of our jobs. So I would love to be able to share that with everyone. It will be stuff that I have learnt over the years. But the book will take some more time, as I need to gather a bit more information.
Is this your first visit to Abu Dhabi?
Yes and I think it’s wonderful. On my first day here, I met Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the Minister of Culture, Youth, and Social Development. He gave us wonderful insights into Abu Dhabi. I’ve not really had time to see much yet – but I did see Sheikh Zayed Mosque from a helicopter. It looks like a palace.
Where has Dishoom been filming in the city?
We shot in the desert among the sand dunes, and on Yas Island, as we needed a supermarket setting. But it’s been mainly outdoors. We captured some of the best locations of Abu Dhabi.
You starred in the first two Housefull films – do you see yourself as an actress with a flair for making people laugh?
Comedy was something I had never explored before but now I am comfortable with it. And [Housefull star] Akshay [Kumar] is the king of comedy, so you learn so much from him. He's really spontaneous and it makes you spontaneous in the shots – you just end up having a lot of fun. I'd definitely love to get into more comedy. I really hope that Housefull continues because it's a franchise that has really grown.
What are your thoughts on Bollywood “item” numbers? Do you think they add value to films?
In our industry, song and dance play a vital role. Our music videos are actually how we promote films in India. We add an item song because the film gets more visibility, it adds spice – although sometimes it can be about a cameo, and adding another star to the film.
The upcoming film Definition of Fear marks your Hollywood debut. What is it about?
It’s about four girls who go to a cabin in the mountains. My character is a psychology student who writes a paper on the definition of fear. Odd things start happening and they realise that there is a supernatural force around them.
Which Hollywood actor would you love to work with and why?
Leonardo DiCaprio. I have seen The Revenant – it's a great film and I really hope he wins an Oscar for it.
Besides Dishoom, which other films will we see you in this year?
Housefull 3, Definition of Fear and A Flying Jatt, with Tiger Shroff. I'm also shooting this year for Bang Bang 2.
Bang Bang! was filmed in Abu Dhabi. Are there plans to shoot the sequel here?
I don’t think this one will be filmed in Abu Dhabi. The locations we’ve got so far are Malaysia, New Delhi and Atlanta, Georgia. But you never know.
A year ago, there were reports that you would appear in the Indian-Chinese film Gold Struck. Is that still going ahead?
I don’t know because there were some issues in terms of the casting. I think they are still working on it, so hopefully that revives itself because it sounds really interesting.
What are your plans for Valentine’s Day?
If I’m back home in India, then my cat Miumiu will be my date.
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