“Riteish is obviously believable” - Jacqueline Fernandez

Jacqueline Fernandez a.k.a. Jackie has learnt the tricks of the trade and done so really fast. Not to be disturbed by thousands of rumours and link up stories making the rounds, Jackie is smiling it all away and having fun in Bollywood. For someone who stepped into the world of movies 2.5 years back and began her career with Aladdin, Jackie has come a long way with Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai up for release, an item number in Housefull being much talked about and a major soft drink commercial (featuring her along with Ranbir Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt) currently on air. As she dominates air space week after week, Jackie talks to this correspondent about her special film, the difference between working in JKSAH and Aladdin and many other things.

If aliens really look like you, rest assured there would be many out there who would love to visit Venus.
(Laughs) Yeah, I know, whether you could go there or I could ask my friends from Venus to fly down to Earth. Jokes apart, I am so happy with all the response that I have fetched for Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai ever since the promos hit air. There have been hundreds of messages on Twitter with queries like whether girls really look like me in Venus. You know the kind of silly harmless questions that teenagers ask. I think I should really approach authorities at Venus and ask them to make me their designated tourist ambassador. Seems, there is quite some curiosity about the planet today.

True. However, when the film came to you, weren't you worried about how the makers would present you on screen since you are playing an alien being?
I was really expecting some terrifying things (says in mock horror). I thought that perhaps I would have to wear those long alien like ears as attachment. You never know about this young team of Milap (Zaveri), Nikhil (Advani) and Riteish, they are capable of doing anything (smiles).

On a serious note though, the fact is that you always carried a dream of working in a quintessential Bollywood film. Aladdin may have been a lost opportunity for you but I am sure JKSAH must have fulfilled that desire of yours?
Yes, JKSAH is indeed a quintessential Bollywood film; it has the kind of elements that you expect from a Bollywood romcom. Aladdin was a very different film; it had a different scale and note to it and honestly, it never actually felt like a core Bollywood outing. In fact, this is my way of complimenting Sujoy (Ghosh). However, in JKSAH there are songs and dances, emotional scenes and a lot more fun which fits into the Bollywood bracket.

In the film you are wearing some short clothes. Were you comfortable with the thought, especially so because in Aladdin you were covered from top to bottom?
See, Aladdin was more of a family entertainer and it was great doing it. It's because of that film that I have all my kiddie fans today. However, JKSAH is more for young adults and hence you have to cater to them. Was I worried about my clothes? Not at all because when you have Nikhil as a producer, you know that styling would be taken care of as he has great sense of styling. One cannot look vulgar for sure. Also, there is a way to wear a particular dress because vulgarity comes in when you portray stuff wrongly. Also, a lot has to do with your character and personality. Now these were some things that were pretty much taken care of in the film.

Well, there is a scene in the film where you are wearing lingerie over your clothes...
And isn't that hilarious? I mean this is a real example of how something looks cute rather than being risque! This particular shot as well as many others that are devised around my shopping sequence were written impromptu on sets. We would come to the sets, read scenes and then add our own bit. There was a lot of improvisation involved and if you look at the original script and the final product, you would see so many changes.

Talking about hilarious things, I guess there is lot more humour that the trio of Riteish, Vishal (Malhotra) and you indulged in, both on and off the screen.
Oh, how hilarious Vishal is (says animatedly). There are so many scenes featuring the three of us and I couldn't help myself laughing. The minute they would say their lines, I would just crack up. In the film, both Riteish and Vishal compliment each other so very well. Riteish is obviously believable as a simple and sweet lover boy. On the other hand Vishal gets the comic quotient bang on in his own whacky way. In that sense, kudos to Ritiesh because the most difficult thing to do in a comedy is to remain serious.

Well, Milap and you appear to be having a serious mutual admiration society building up...
(Laughs) I keep telling Milap that he has given me a dream role. The script written by him is so amazing and in fact when he had handed it over to me, I did ask him if he felt I was capable enough to do it. But he put so much of faith in me. See, not everybody gets such a good role in her very second film but I got it. Of course it is mutual that I worked even harder to ensure that I live up to the expectations. I owe so much to Milap; in fact I kind of kind of adore him.

Well, talking about adoration, there have also been talks about that 'special something' brewing between you and Riteish. While it has become a trend of sorts to have talks about an affair between the lead pair days before the release of a film, doesn't it become a little too annoying after a period of time?
The only thing that matters is my family and the people I work with and I get really concerned when such news pieces start making rounds. I get worried about what they would be thinking about their daughter. Also, I don't want industry people to get any wrong ideas because I have to interact with them for many more years to come. I am here for work and people should understand that I am serious about work rather than involving myself in any frivolities.