We know Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez with her power-packed performances in films like ‘Murder 2’, ‘Housefull 2’, ‘Kick’, among others. However, the supermodel from Sri Lanka had to face a lot of hurdles before she became a well-known name in the Hindi film industry.
Jacqueline, who now has many blockbuster movies in her kitty, opened up about her struggles during the initial days in the industry. In an interview, Jacqueline said how she had to face the wrath of the industry for being an outsider, reported HT.
“It’s been about 10 good years. The craziest thing was that when I came here, I never thought about how to stand out or do things differently. I just wanted to be me. So, I didn’t put an act! I was calm, relaxed and collected about it. It worked out for me.”
She was also ridiculed for her accent and not being able to speak fluent Hindi. “I didn’t belong here. So I knew I would never be able to speak Hindi like Sonakshi (Sinha).”
“Even my co-actors have imitated my Hindi to the extent that they spoofed it. I used to get really angry. It’s not that I don’t try. I take regular classes for hours every day and I’m getting better for sure.”
“Previously, I used to say weird things in Hindi. My friends have sometimes corrected me but there were also a few who made fun of me and ridiculed me. I am not friends with them anymore.”
From being told to change her name to being asked to get a nose job, or even get her eyebrows darker, she was given absurd advice during her entry in the industry, reported News18.
“People told me, ‘Do a nose job, change your name’. I was like, ‘is all this really needed?’ I was told, ‘Change your name to Muskaan.’”
“I remember these suggestions. My agency also thought, ‘Should we change her name? Jacqueline Fernandez is very ‘Western’. How do we crack the industry?’ Then they were like, ‘Maybe we should just go with her name and just see where that goes.’”
She further added, “I would actually laugh though. I was sure I’m not changing my name.”
“People used to tell me I have to be a certain way. They wanted me to make my eyebrows darker. And the one feature of mine which I loved since childhood was my nose and then, someone asks me to change my nose.”
In the same interview, she revealed how people mocked her accent and taunted her for trying too hard to fit in. “I felt really offended by this. I came to a Diwali party once in a really traditional outfit. Three of my actor friends were like, ‘Why are you wearing a saree? Why are you trying so hard? You are not Indian!’”
She further divulged how she wasn’t even given a house on rent because she was a ‘firang actress’. “When I first moved I got questioned, ‘oh, you’re a single girl who wants to become an actress.’ They were like we don’t want single actresses.”
“People were like we can’t give the house to people from the film industry. Because they thought ‘they are not decent people. Actresses were stereotyped for being indecent or leading unruly life may be.”
She further added, “I have moved thrice in the duration of my stay here. And every time I have moved people would be like ‘Oh she’s an actress, up her rent’, it’s so unfair. People have taken me for granted so I have to work really hard for my bread and butter.”
A former Miss Universe Sri Lanka Jacqueline made her debut in Bollywood with the film ‘Aladin’ in 2009. She was last seen in Netflix’s ‘Drive’.