‘I’m challenging myself, looking at new possibilities’
Jacquieline is upbeat about her Kannada film Vikrant Rona
Jacqueline Fernandez has had a mixed year so far. She’s been embroiled in a controversy involving alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar, and neither of her releases —
Bachchhan Paandey opposite Akshay Kumar and Attack with John Abraham – did well at the box office. But she believes her next film – Vikrant Rona – which also marks her Kannada debut — is big enough to allow her to move on.
“Despite all the work that I have done over the past many years, when I walked on to the Vikrant Rona sets, I was in shock – I felt as if there were a thousand people on that set. It was huge, magnificent and surreal,” she says, adding, “it was after the second Covid wave in 2021 and they took every precaution and went to great lengths to ensure that everybody was safe.”
“The entire team worked as if it was a celebration. Everyone from the lighting boy and spot boy to the direction team and the VFX guys were having a really good time. People were smiling and came out of the shoot saying that it was a great day at work! I want to thank them for having me as a part of the film, it was a great way to enter the Kannada movie industry,” she
added. ‘THE KANNADA INDUSTRY IS NEW FOR ME AND THE CHALLENGE WAS TO PERFORM IN A TOTALLY DIFFERENT LANGUAGE. SINGING IN KANNADA WAS QUITE DIFFICULT AND EVEN GIVING THOSE SCENES WAS NERVEWRACKING. IF I DIDN’T PUT MYSELF OUT THERE I WOULD HAVE REMAINED STAGNANT AND THAT IS THE LAST THING
I WANT TO DO”
The actress, known to have a fun side, also got her co-star Kichcha Sudeep to make his first Instagram Reel. “He agreed to do the reel on condition that I would speak in Kannada and then we danced on the
Rakkamma song. So I said a few lines in Kannada and he did the reel. she shares. She also notes that the Rakkamma song was big, and they had to put a lot of work into it.
Talking about the Kannada actor, she says, “Sudeep Sir likes to believe that he cannot dance. But I believe that he is a better dancer than me because during the shoot the choreographer Johnny Master said, ‘Jacqueline thoda aur energy, Sudeep Sir, perfect.’ This was my first shot with Sudeep Sir and my choreographer was asking me to put in more energy…that is how good he is. But he is very modest.”
It may be recalled that Jacqueline shot to dancing fame after she grooved with Salman Khan to the song Jumme Ki Raat.
“Every song is special. For Jumme Ki Raat in Kick I was way more nervous. I wasn’t sure how well I could do it. Rakkama has come years after that, and I was more confident. I knew the character had to be fearless and out there and kind of cheeky as well. I let myself become that. I had to get the steps right and rehearsed for 15 days – it was a different kind of hook step and the audiences have appreciated it, everyone seems to be copying it,” says Jacqueline.
The actress has some biggies like Ram Setu with Akshay Kumar and Cirkus with Ranveer Singh coming up. “Every film seems to be scaling up now. Actors look at growth when they are taking up a project. The Kannada industry is new for me and the challenge was to perform in a totally different language. Singing in Kannada was quite difficult and even giving those scenes was difficult and nerve-wracking. If I didn’t put myself out there I would have remained stagnant and that is the last thing I want to do, as I am opening my eyes to other possibilities as well,” she signs off. “EVERY SONG IS SPECIAL. FOR
RAAT IN KICK I WAS WAY MORE NERVOUS. I WASN’T SURE HOW WELL I COULD DO IT. RAKKAMA HAS COME YEARS AFTER THAT, AND I WAS MORE CONFIDENT. I HAD TO GET THE STEPS RIGHT AND REHEARSED FOR 15 DAYS – IT WAS A DIFFERENT KIND OF HOOK STEP AND THE AUDIENCES HAVE APPRECIATED IT, EVERYONE SEEMS TO BE COPYING IT”