She may have done work down south only, but Amy Jackson is a known face among a pan-Indian audience, many of whom have watched her dubbed films. Today, the 23-year-old British hottie has a big Bollywood release in Prabhu Deva’s Singh Is Bliing, opposite Akshay Kumar. Amy’s debut in Bollywood, however, was in the 2012 dud romance Ekk Deewana Tha with then-boyfriend Prateik Babbar. t2 caught up with Amy — looking super fit and radiant in a bling skirt-and-top ensemble — in Mumbai recently.

Singh is Bliing is your big, big Bolly film. What’s the countdown been like?
I’ve been all over the place! I feel nervous… I feel a little bit excited, for sure because, as you said, this is my big break. I can’t wait to see how the Bollywood audience reacts to me. I know that I have put my heart and soul into this film and I hope people appreciate that when they come to watch the film. Obviously, my career in the south will always be there — I am, in fact, shooting for a film there now — but I have shifted to Bombay currently. I am so grateful that my big Bollywood break came in the form of a film with Akshay and Prabhu Sir… and a big banner (Akshay’s Grazing Goat Pictures) like this is a dream project for me. 

From the trailer it’s evident that you have a lot of action scenes and aren’t the regular damsel in distress we often see on screen...
(Smiles) I am so glad that you are taking this back from the trailer. It’s been such a high to get a role that’s so different… I have three huge action scenes and I am doing a lot of jumping and kicking around (laughs). For most of the film, Akshay was sitting and watching me do all the action, while he chilled out! I am so grateful that he gave me the chance to do this. Heroines in Indian films don’t get to do so much action. I am happy that Akshay and Prabhu Sir thought I was capable enough of doing such heavy-duty action scenes. I loved doing them and now I am fully trained in mixed martial arts and kickboxing. 

There must have been quite a few injuries…
Oh, I am completely black and blue! (Laughs out loud) But because I was so involved in the shots, I rarely realised that I was getting hurt. I was totally going for it. But after the shot, I realised I was cut and bruised all over… but nothing major, really. Anyway, it’s all been worth it. 

Akshay is Bollywood’s action man. Weren’t you intimidated while doing all those scenes in front of him?
Very! I was scared out of my hair. But Akshay being Akshay kept it all so cool. Just after I signed the film, I met Akshay in his office and he told me that this would be a very physically demanding role. He asked me: ‘Are you trained in kickboxing?’ And I was like: ‘No Akshay, I am not.’ Then he said: ‘Do you know that you have to be better in action than me in the film because the role demands it?’ And I was actually on the verge of tears. He’s the action king of Bollywood and I had to be better than him! (Laughs) He asked me to show him my punches and kicks and I was like this (throws a limp punch and laughs out loud). To his credit, he didn’t laugh or lose his patience with me at all.

I was shooting a Tamil film with Dhanush (VIP 2) and Akshay made sure that a trainer went down from Mumbai to train me for three months. I trained before and after shoot and after three months, I was throwing kicks and punches all over the place. After I came back to Bombay, Akshay just polished my moves, but he told me that the key to doing well in action is having confidence and attitude.

So no one dare mess with you now!
Oh, no! No one can even think of messing with me now… girl power, baby! (Flexes her arms and laughs)

The action scenes apart, what were the memorable bits of the shoot?
I particularly enjoyed Punjab, especially Patiala. The Punjabi flavour in the film is something that’s very new to me, given that I have lived in the UK all my life and in India my only exposure has been to south Indian movies. And while shooting in Punjab, I actually put on a lot of weight because Akshay would send plates of butter chicken and gur parathas to my van. I would just eat the whole time I wasn’t shooting!

But none of it shows on you!
I’ve lost most of it now! (Laughs) But if you watch the film keenly, you will notice that my changing weight has actually sent some of the continuity completely off!

We can’t really believe that because your swimsuit look is grabbing so many eyeballs…
(Laughs) I am so glad! I enjoy working out… it’s a hobby. I am always in shape. For that scene, I didn’t really starve myself or work out more… I just stuck to my normal diet and workout routine. I think just that whole shot of me coming out of the water in a red swimsuit is what’s worked. 

How does working in Bollywood stack up against working in south Indian films?
Well, there’s a south Indian connect even here with Prabhu Sir (smiles). In the south, we have 18-20 hour days and no one cribs about it. It’s very professional — not that Bollywood isn’t—- but the south industry moves like clockwork. But honestly, working on Singh Is Bliing has been a superb experience for me because everything worked seamlessly and we finished the film in three months flat. 

But I know that this isn’t the case with every Bollywood film… I have been spoilt in Singh Is Bliing because Akshay is so disciplined. He’s such a meticulous guy. There would be times during shoot when I would wake up all groggy at 8am and he would have saved the world by then! (Laughs)

It’s been a couple of years for you in India. Do you feel like it’s home now? 
One hundred per cent! I went back home to London recently and I actually felt a little lost! My life in India is so hectic… between January and now, I have already shot two Tamil films, besides Singh Is Bliing. I love being in India… my life’s here and my passion is the film industry. I love being in Bombay and Chennai is my second home. 

And what about the language?
Yes, the language! (Smiles) That’s the tough bit because every Indian language is a foreign language for me. I had to learn quite a bit of Tamil because Shankar (who directed Amy in I) wouldn’t allow any prompting on sets. What helped me in Singh Is Bliing is that my character (Sara) is someone who doesn’t know Hindi at all. But I know  that I have to speak in Hindi if I want to be a Bollywood actress. I am serious about it and every day I sit with my Hindi coach and I am trying very hard. But I am not scared of it… if I could do Tamil, I can very well do Hindi! (Laughs) 

How do friends and family back home react to your films?
They love it! Right from my first Tamil film (Madraspattinam, 2010), my friends and family have organised a screening of all my films in London. They all come in a group and have fun and watch my films. They will do the same for this film as well. My dad and mum were here in Bombay for a couple of days and my sister came a week after that and they keep me grounded and focused. I have a great family (smiles). 

ABC OF AMY
Born on: January 31, 1992
Age: 23
Hails from: Liverpool
Won: Miss Teen World (2009) & Miss Liverpool (2010)
Debut: Tamil film Madraspattinam in 2010
Bolly debut: Ekk Deewana Tha (2012)
Relationships: Prateik Babbar (actor); Joe Selkirk (boxer); Ryan Thomas (actor)
Twitter bio: Wanderluster

Priyanka Roy
Will Amy make it big in Bolly? 
Tell t2@abp.in