Jacqueliene Fernandez, who completed 15 years in Bollywood in October, says, “It has been a journey with its ups and downs, but there’s not a moment that I felt that I would have had it any other way.” The actress, who is of Sri Lankan origin, moved to India from Bahrain in the late 2000s and marked her debut in Bollywood with Aladin in 2009. In a chat with us, she talks about the hurdles she’s faced, the way she deals with fame and how she cuts out the noise around her. Excerpts.
‘My Family is an integral part of my life’
Talking about how easy it was to adapt to a new country when she moved here, Jacqueliene says, “I am a South Asian, who was born in Sri Lanka, and culturally, we share a lot of similarities with India. I’ve grown up eating similar food, which is rice and curry, in the warm tropical weather. In terms of values as well, my family is an integral part of my life. So, I think I had a lot of similarities to draw from, but yes, language and nuances will always be something we have to adapt to when we move out of our homes to a different country. Also, now I think Indians see themselves as citizens of the world, upholding values, but also opening up to many other perspectives and experiences. So, I’ve never felt out of place here.”
Jacqueliene with Salman Khan in Kick
‘Learning a language on the job is slightly harder than learning it as a passion’
One of the major challenges for Jacqueliene, who completed part of her education in Australia, was to learn Hindi. “Any language that has to be learned requires a process to have an advanced understanding of it. My peers who have been attuned to speaking Hindi at home, at school, and with friends, have a much deeper understanding of the language. I had to learn the language on the job, which is slightly harder than learning it as a passion and using it daily to converse. But as I started doing it more, I got better at it,” shares the Kick actress.
‘The international film industry has always had an eclectic mix of cultures’
Recently, she was seen in the American action film Kill ‘Em All 2 starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. In the past, too, she has been seen in the American-Italian film Tell It Like a Woman (2022) and the British film Definition of Fear (2015). Sharing her experience about working beyond borders, the actress says, “The international film industry has always had an eclectic mix of cultures, but more recently, we’ve seen a wave of new talent on screen from the South Asian community. And that’s very exciting because the language of cinema is universal, and if actors can get the tonality of what is expected of us from the script, then it is easier for us to take it on and get audience acceptance.”
Jacqueliene Fernandez
‘Negativity impacts me as it would anyone else’
Ask her how she cuts down all the noise and negativity around her, and goes about life with a positive attitude, and she explains, “Having a range of emotions, whether they are good or bad, stem from all the experiences that we go through. Negativity impacts me as it would anyone else, and I think that’s what most people forget when they make judgments in the online space about people they don’t know. My strength comes from focusing on spirituality, prayer, lots of love from family, friends and pets, and having healthy conversations with myself regularly.”
‘Being in the public eye is part of my job’
Jacqueliene has been fortunate to work with some of the biggest names and banners in Bollywood from the start. However, she agrees that stardom has a flip side and being in the public eye comes with its own set of challenges. She says, “Being in the public eye is part of my job, and when we choose this career, we choose the perks and the perils, the admiration and the invasion. I don’t regret my choices because there is no way of rewinding the past, but I do strive to find a balance because when I’m home with my family and friends, I’m not famous — I’m just Jacqueliene. Fame doesn’t define me.”
