Five years ago, Sri Lankan stunner Jacqueline Fernandez made a ho-hum entry into Bollywood with Sujoy Ghosh’s box-office disaster Aladin. A flood of flops followed, but Jacqueline’s looks and sense of style ensured that she remained firmly in the spotlight. On July 25, the 28-year-old former model will star in her biggest film yet — the Salman Khan Id biggie Kick. A t2 chat.

You reportedly got very emotional the first time you saw the trailer of Kick…

When I saw the trailers for the first time and the songs as well, I was so, so impressed… even though it’s my own film! (Laughs) And I was very emotional as well… I just couldn’t believe that I was part of a movie as big as this, you know? There has been such a happy and positive buzz about the film right from the start and even when we were working on the film, there was always this very energetic vibe on set from everyone, irrespective of what capacity they were working on the film. Now with the promos and the songs on air, everyone I interact with is reacting the same way as I did when I saw them first… they are just loving every bit of it.

I am often asked whether being part of a Salman Khan film releasing on Id makes me more nervous than I would usually be for any other film, but honestly, I am just so excited! (Laughs) Just can’t wait for July 25.

When you signed Kick, it apparently took quite a few days for it to sink in that you were doing a film opposite Salman Khan?

(Laughs out loud) Yes, that’s true! Even when we were shooting, there would be moments when I would get a little overawed… but such moments would come and go. At times, I would get lost in a scene and my character so much that I would forget that he was there in the same frame. Then a few moments later, I would realise: ‘Oh, Salman the superstar is standing in front of me and I am doing a scene with him!’ (Laughs) There were many such moments during the shoot, but at the end of the day we are both professionals and we worked in a collaborative manner to make sure the film comes out as good as it has.

At the trailer and music launch, Salman was constantly pulling your leg. Was he as much fun on the sets?

No, not really. He was very, very different on set. While shooting, I found him to be very serious and focused. In between shots, we would do a lot of discussions on how best to do a scene and how both of us could put in our maximum in every shot. I found him to be an actor who not only gives in his best, but also always wants to ensure that his co-actor does the same. That’s a really great quality to have in any co-star, I think. It was amazing to see that side of him… that serious, professional side of him. And to be honest, I really liked seeing him like that (smiles).

You didn’t know Salman at all before Kick. Did you guys make an effort to break the ice off set before you shot the film?

Not really. Honestly, I don’t think it’s important to connect with a co-star off set as long as you are sure of your role and your function in the larger scheme of the film. With any other co-star that could have probably been a possibility somewhat, but with Salman I am so overawed…. (Laughs) I remember that the day I signed Kick, he called me up to say ‘Congratulations’ and that was quite a big deal for me. On the first day of shoot, I was sitting on set and he walked in with his entourage and went: ‘Hi… hi…hi…hi…hi… okay, let’s start shooting!’ (Laughs) As we went along, we get more and more comfortable as co-stars… he even started calling me by my screen name (Shaina) after a few days.

Honestly, I feel that a very interesting and organic kind of chemistry develops when you share screen space with someone you don’t really know from before. A certain energy happens that isn’t possible with someone who you know well. Like with Salman, I felt we were discovering new things about each other as actors… our strengths and weaknesses… as we were going along and that really helped us in our scenes. At least that really helped me, I know.

More often than not, the leading lady in a Salman Khan film has precious little to do. Will it be different in Kick?

Shaina is a very simple and normal girl, but she’s very integral to the plot, which is something you will know once you watch the film. She leads a very regular life till the time Salman’s character, Devil, comes into her life. He comes into her life and pretty much changes everything… they are very opposite personalities. She’s someone who takes things as they come and believes in a higher power, while he feels that the power to change life is in one’s own hands and he looks for a ‘kick’ in almost everything he does. He wants to live life to the fullest everyday… and that’s an attitude that’s very alien to her. But she gradually comes around to his way of thinking.

It’s been five years for you in the industry. Are you happy with the choices you’ve made, given that you came in without any godfather or guide?

On the whole, yes. There have been times when I thought I was choosing a great film, which, in hindsight, didn’t really turn out the way I thought it would. But I feel that if the wrong decisions I made as far as choosing certain films hadn’t happened, then even Kick wouldn’t have happened. I have learnt from both my good as well as my bad choices and today, I have reached a position where I have a couple of good films in hand… like Kick and even Roy (opposite Ranbir Kapoor and Arjun Rampal). I have met some amazing people along the way and to be honest, I don’t think I would want to rewrite anything in my life in these last five years. I just feel very grateful because whatever I have done, I have done on my own. And that’s a great feeling (smiles).

With so much competition around, what’s the special niche that Jacqueline Fernandez is looking to create for herself in Bollywood?

I think just celebrating and embracing being myself is what I want to do. There is a very cliched saying, but something that I truly believe in, that goes: ‘Just be yourself because everyone else is already taken’. That’s the motto I live by… whether it’s personal life or my professional choices. That’s the niche you have… that’s what makes you unique. Even in my sense of style, I don’t mimic anyone else.. I am just myself and that I feel holds more impact on the people you interact with than anything else.

Stylist Tanya Ghavri decodes Jacqueline’s trendy moves

What was your first impression of Jacqueline?

I first met Jacqueline a month before the release of her film Murder 2 through a common friend. We did a photo shoot for the film and got along instantly. Jackie is the sweetest, most fun-loving girl ever... she has positive energy on another level! My first impression of her was ‘WOW! What is that body!’ I’m a stylist, so most of the time I have a one-track mind! I was excited because I knew everything would work on her.

What about her makes her stand out in Bollywood? What makes her fashion’s ‘it’ girl?

I think she’s fashion’s ‘it’ girl because she’s so open to ideas. She’s never uncomfortable in anything. Once she decides to wear something, she carries it beautifully and she understands that changing it and having fun with fashion is important. Jackie’s X factor is that she oozes oomph even in the simplest outfit. And, according to me, she has the best legs in the business!

What kind of a girl is she to dress up?

She’s highly experimental, so you can literally take anything to Jackie and she will be open to at least trying it. I love that about her the most! She has no inhibitions. Our typical styling session is that we get loads of options and rack it all up and sometimes our sessions go on forever. We have so much fun putting looks together, playing around with prints, colours, silhouettes… shoes, bags and other accessories get laid out and then we mix and match. Jackie has some incredible pieces in her wardrobe too and she’s very open to mixing and matching her own wardrobe with sourced options. My assistant Anisha, Jacqueline and I put everything together and then we always have Shaan, her make-up artist, for that ‘opinion from a guy’(winks)! Jackie has her inputs but those always make sense. I love that she has something to say and is a thinking girl when it comes to fashion.

J for Jacqueline

Date of birth: August 11

Sun sign: Leo

Claim to fame before Bolly: Miss Sri Lanka Universe 2006

Started out as: Television news reporter

Bolly debut: Aladin (2009) with Amitabh Bachchan and Riteish Deshmukh (in picture)

Career highlights: Murder 2, Housefull 2, Race 2

Career mistake: Turned down Kangana Ranaut’s role in Krrish 3

Link-ups: Prince of Bahrain Sheikh Hassan bin Rashid Al Khalifa, filmmaker Sajid Khan

Brands endorsed: The Body Shop, HTC One

Twitter handle: @Asli_Jacqueline

Plus: Has just opened her first restaurant — called Kaema Sutra — in Colombo

Priyanka Roy

Will Kick be the turning point in Jacqueline’s career?