Jacqueline Fernandez Reveals What She Will Never Say No To

“Not for a moment did I hesitate to work with an OTT platform. I am a huge consumer of digital content,” says Jacqueline Fernandez about singing her debut web movie. She is one of the few mainstream heroines to have made the transition from cinema to web already. The actor, who is currently shooting for the film, is excited about this new step. “It was an immediate yes on my part. It’s a great platform; as good as theatrical. We seem to be moving in the direction of digital anyway,” she adds. Excerpts.

Are you open to web shows as well in the future?

Everything really depends on content. We have been harping on this for many years now. But it’s really dawning on the industry right now because of certain examples. The past two years have been such a disruption in the industry, that we are now taking it very seriously. So, whether theatrical, digital films or the web series, for me it will have to be about the content, the character and the team to make something like this. Digital is a great space, which will help us grow. It is a great time for filmmakers and actors.

Talking about content, for you, have commercial entertainers now taken a back-seat?

I don’t think I will ever move away from commercial entertainers. It has got me to where I am. I’ve always enjoyed being part of commercial cinema and have worked with amazing people. But, I’d love to balance it now and be able to take on much more. There was a time where I was only focusing on commercial films; it’s about diversifying more. If I end up doing only one kind of cinema, I definitely don’t see myself growing. I’m not putting it aside, do other things along as well.

So, how would you sum up your journey?

I’d say that it’s been one lucky ride. There has been a lot of growing especially in the last couple of years. I don’t think I’d have been able to discover so much about myself in any other industry or job. I am glad that I stuck by and said this is what I want to do. It took me a long time to come to terms with it, also with people back home. I thought it (acting) was far beyond my reach while growing up. It took time to understand what I was actually doing or the path I’d chosen. But, it’s a great self-discovery journey and one that I am hoping to continue for a long time.

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What were challenges for you, personally and professionally?

One of the most difficult things for me was that I was petrified of the camera. I struggled for many years because I never had any formal training. I just jumped straight into it. I never really learned how to make friends with it. Only now it is starting to digest, after learning a lot more - working with amazing people and everyone giving their bits of advice on how to go about things. It has helped me become a lot more comfortable.