LiFe’s a party

Jacqueline Fernandez has an interesting New Year’s tradition. She spends it in a different place every year. “It’s like a ritual,” she says in her throaty, sexy voice that you couldn’t achieve even if you were hungover for an entire year. She ticks off a few places and you listen all the while trying not to die of envy. “Let’s see, Bahrain, Rio, The Caribbean Islands, The US Virgin Islands, Beirut, Lebanon, Australia, Goa…,” The list truly seems endless.

It’s a tradition she says that started right after she finished high school, and also one she hasn’t been able to honour in recent years. You know, after she became a sought-after starling. “Now I have to worry about shooting schedules. It has become tougher to get away like I could earlier.” But the memories of her favourite trip to Rio helps on days when things are really crazy. “We were in Copa Cabana, and there, everyone gathers on the beach wearing white and gold. It is a tradition. I loved it. And the fact that I get to travel and party and experience so many different cultures,” she smiles.

Talk to anyone who knows Jackie (as she is fondly called), and you get an impression of an ongoing theme. Of vivacity, fun, laughter, joy. Director Sujoy Ghosh who cast her in Aladin (2009), her debut film, usually uses affectionate monikers like ‘monkey’, ‘brat’, and ‘child’ for her. “I am a goofball,” she admits. “I like spreading good energy around. It is important to me, and for that, I need to indulge in a lot of ‘me time’. The energy I create for myself is the energy I give out.”