Jacqueline Fernandez

Jacqueline Fernandez born 11 August 1985 is a Sri Lankan actress, former model, and the winner of the Miss Universe Sri Lanka pageant of 2006 who predominantly works in Hindi films. In 2009, she debuted in Bollywood with the movie Aladin and since then has established a career in the industry. Born into a multiracial Eurasian family of Canadian, Sri Lankan, and Malaysian descent, Fernandez was raised in Bahrain. After graduating in mass communication from the University of Sydney and working as a television reporter in Sri Lanka, she joined the modeling industry. She was crowned Miss Universe Sri Lanka in 2006, and represented her country at Miss Universe 2006.

While on a modelling assignment in India in 2009, Fernandez successfully auditioned for Sujoy Ghosh’s fantasy drama Aladin, which marked her acting debut. Fernandez had her breakthrough role with the psychological thriller Murder 2 (2011), her first commercial success. This was followed by glamorous roles in the commercially successful ensemble-comedy Housefull 2 (2012) and the action thriller Race 2 (2013), which garnered her an IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination. Fernandez went on to star in the top-grossing action film Kick (2014) and the comedies Housefull 3 (2016) and Judwaa 2 (2017).

Alongside her screen acting career, Fernandez has worked as a judge in the ninth season of the dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa (2016–2017), is a popular celebrity endorser for various brands and products, has participated in stage shows, and is active in humanitarian work.

Early life and modeling career

Fernandez was born on 11 August 1985, in Manama, Bahrain, and was raised in a multi-ethnic family. Her father, Elroy Fernandez, is a Sri Lankan Burgher, and her mother, Kim, is of Malaysian and Canadian descent. Her maternal grandfather is Canadian and her paternal great-grandparents were from Goa in India. Her father, who was a musician in Sri Lanka, moved to Bahrain in the 1980s to escape civil unrest between the Tamils and Sinhalese and subsequently met her mother who was an air hostess. She is the youngest of four children with one elder sister and two elder brothers. After receiving her early education in Bahrain, she studied mass communication at the University of Sydney in Australia. After graduating she did a couple of television shows in Sri Lanka. She also attended the Berlitz school of languages, where she learned Spanish and improved her French and Arabic.

According to Fernandez, she had aspired to become an actress at a young age and fantasized about becoming a Hollywood movie star. She received some training at the John School of Acting. Although, she was a television reporter, she accepted offers in the modeling industry, which came as a result of her pageant success. In 2006, she was crowned the winner of the Miss Universe Sri Lanka pageant and represented Sri Lanka at the world Miss Universe 2006 pageant held in Los Angeles. In a 2015 interview, Fernandez described the modeling industry as “a good training ground” and said: “It is a medium that is about shedding your inhibitions, knowing your body, confidence”. In 2006, she appeared in a music video for the song “O Sathi” by music duo Bathiya and Santhush.

Acting career

2009–2013: Debut and breakthrough

In 2009, Fernandez traveled to India for a modeling assignment. She successfully auditioned for Sujoy Ghosh’s fantasy film Aladin (2009) her acting debut. She played the love interest of Riteish Deshmukh’s character, a role based on the character of Princess Jasmine. and Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN felt that she was: “easy on the eyes and appears confident but has precious little to do”. Although the film was a critical and commercial failure, she won the IIFA Award for Star Debut of the Year – Female.

In 2010, Fernandez appeared opposite Deshmukh in the science fiction romantic comedy Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai. She was cast as a girl from Venus, who lands on Earth in search of love. The film, along with Fernandez’s performance, received poor reviews; Rediff.com’s Sukanya Verma noted: “She gamely makes a fool of herself whilst aping the actions of movie stars, ranging from Sridevi’s Naagin dance, Mithun Chakravarthy’s Disco Dancer moves, to Big B’s violent headshake in Hum. Her Tara could be a keeper if only Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai wasn’t so intent on turning her into a love-struck Barbie.” Critic Anupama Chopra also criticized Fernandez, calling her “a pin-prick on a balloon”. Later that year, she made a special appearance in the song “Dhanno” for Sajid Khan’s comedy Housefull.

Mahesh Bhatt’s thriller Murder 2 was Fernandez’s first commercial success and marked a turning point in her career. She took on the role of Priya, a lonely model who is in a confused relationship with Arjun Bhagwat (played by Emraan Hashmi). Fernandez was praised for her performance, and for the boldness and sex appeal she displayed in the film. Gaurav Malini of The Times of India stated that she was “tastefully tempting” but noted that her romance with Hashmi was “literally half-baked”. The following year, Fernandez appeared in the ensemble comedy Housefull 2 alongside Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, and Asin. It became one of the top grossing productions of India that year and earned ₹1.86 billion (US$26 million) worldwide. Fernandez received mostly negative reviews for her performance. While Gaurav Malini praised her for her looks, NDTV called her a “blathering bimbo” who “find no pleasure in “. Despite the negative reviews, Fernandez received a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 14th IIFA Awards for her performance.

Fernandez’s first release of 2013 was Race 2, an ensemble action thriller (alongside Saif Ali Khan, John Abraham and Deepika Padukone), described as the “cinematic equivalent of a trashy novel” by critic Rajeev Masand. She played Omisha, a femme fatale, a role which required her learn fencing and some acrobatics. The film emerged as a commercial success, with the domestic gross of more than ₹1 billion (US$14 million). In a particularly scathing review, Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV wrote that both Fernandez and Padukone “strut around like wound-up automatons that are all decked-up but have nowhere to go.” Also that year, Fernandez appeared in an item number, titled, “Jaadu Ki Jhappi”, for Prabhu Deva’s romantic comedy Ramaiya Vasta Vaiya.

2014–present: Commercial success

In 2014, Fernandez appeared in Sajid Nadiadwala’s directorial debut—the action film Kick, a remake of a 2009 Telugu film of same name. She starred opposite Salman Khan, playing Shaina, a psychiatrist . She retained her real voice for the first time in Kick. While Sneha May Francis commented that she is: “incredibly dazzling, and moves like a magic”, Raja Sen of Rediff.com was more critical of her dialogue delivery, calling it “unfortunate.” The film received mixed reviews from critics, but with worldwide revenue of over ₹3.75 billion (US$53 million), it became the fourth highest-grossing Bollywood film. The film established Fernandez as one of the most popular Bollywood actresses.

In 2015, Fernandez featured in Vicky Singh’s Roy, a romantic thriller, which critic Sarita A. Tanwar described as a “boring, exhausting and pretentious” film. Fernandez played dual roles, Ayesha Aamir, a filmmaker in a relationship with another filmmaker (played by Arjun Rampal) and Tia Desai, a girl in love with a thief (played by Ranbir Kapoor). While India TV called it “her best act till date”, critic Rajeev Masand felt that she “appears miscast in a part that required greater range.” Roy failed to meet its box-office expectations, and was a commercial failure. Later that year, she appeared in a guest appearance for the comedy-satire Bangistan.

Karan Malhotra’s action drama Brothers was Fernandez’s next release. Co-starring alongside Akshay Kumar and Sidharth Malhotra, Fernandez played Jenny, a fearless mother struggling for her child, a role which she described as “challenging”, “intense”, and “difficult”. The role marked a departure from the glamorous characters that she had a reputation for portraying. Dhriti Sharma of Zee News called her character “soft, timid and promising”, and praised her for: “convincingly pull off a pleasing character of a street fighter’s wife”. Film critic Subhash K. Jha noted that she: “…in a limited role gives her finest emotive shot”, while critic Raja Sen remarked: ” plays Kumar’s long-sobbing wife who gets so deliriously happy on seeing a text message that it may well have contained news about a Kick sequel.” Later that year, she starred in the horror thriller Definition of Fear, which marked her Hollywood debut.

Fernandez began 2016 with a role in the sequel to Housefull 2. The ensemble comedy film paired her with Akshay Kumar as her love interest. The critic for Firstpost was disappointed with the picture and criticized Fernandez for her inclination towards a film, where she is treated as nothing more than a “visual attraction”. Nevertheless, the film was a commercial success, grossing ₹1.88 billion (US$26 million) worldwide. Her next film—the action adventure Dishoom—also grossed ₹1 billion (US$14 million) at the box-office. Later that year, she served as a judge to the ninth season of the dance show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.

In 2017, Jacqueline appeared in Chandran Rutnam’s English-Sri Lankan crime-thriller According to Mathew. The film was her maiden cinematic appearance in Sri Lankan cinema as well. The film was released in Sri Lanka on 7 April 2017 in CEL Theatres with the title Anuragini. Her next film was the action-comedy A Gentleman, with Siddharth Malhotra from the director duo Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K.. The film was poorly received by critics and was a box-office flop. Later that year, she appeared in David Dhawan’s comedy film Judwaa 2, opposite Varun Dhawan and Taapsee Pannu. It was a sequel to the 1997 comedy film Judwaa. The film proved to be a box-office success. In 2018, she starred alongside Salman Khan in Race 3, the third addition to the Race Franchise.

Fernandez is filming Tarun Mansukhani’s next, Drive opposite Sushant Singh Rajput. She is set to star in the Netflix original film, Mrs. Serial Killer, directed by Shirish Kunder.

Jacqueline Fernandez reunites with Akshay Kumar for the 4th time in a gangster drama ‘Bachchan Pandey’. 

Personal life and other work

Fernandez shares a close bond with her family, and admits that she misses being around them. She says: “I miss them so much everyday. You don’t realise when you live away from home how difficult life can be At the same time, staying away from them has taught me to be more responsible. It has taught me so many things about myself, about priorities and time management.”

In 2008, Fernandez started dating Bahraini prince Hassan bin Rashid Al Khalifa, whom she met at a mutual friend’s party; they separated in 2011. While filming Housefull 2 in 2011, Fernandez began a romantic relationship with director Sajid Khan. The relationship attracted media coverage in India and there was speculation of an impending wedding. However, the relationship ended in May 2013.

Fernandez has supported charitable organisations and a number of causes. For advocating the welfare of animals, Fernandez was named “Woman Of The Year” by PETA (India) in 2014.

Fernandez has participated in several concert tours and televised award ceremonies. In 2013, she performed at the Temptations Reloaded in Auckland, Perth, and Sydney alongside Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, and Madhuri Dixit. She also performed at the live talent show “Got Talent World Stage Live” with Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Varun Dhawan the following year. In July 2014, Fernandez opened a restaurant in Colombo, Kaema Sutra, in collaboration with chef Dharshan Munidasa, which specialises in contemporary Sri Lankan cuisine. In July 2018, Jacqueline co-founded her activewear clothing line-up, Just F.

In the media

In 2008 and 2011, Fernandez featured in the UK magazine Eastern Eye‘s “World’s Sexiest Asian Women” list, ranking twelfth. She was ranked third on The Times of India‘s listing of the “Most Desirable Woman” in 2013 and 2014, after being ranked eighth, seventh and fourteenth, respectively, in the preceding three years. In 2013, Rediff.com placed her on their list of “Bollywood’s Best Dressed Actresses”. The following year, she held the sixty second position in the Indian edition of the Forbes’ Celebrity 100, a list based on the income and popularity of India’s celebrities.

In early 2013, Fernandez became the ambassador for HTC One, which she endorses in India. She was the face of Indian Bridal Fashion Week—IBFW of 2013. Later that year, she became the spokesperson for Gareth Pugh’s designed Forevermark Diamonds in Mumbai, and was at the inaugural opening of the Forever 21 store in Mumbai. That year, she also launched Gillette Shaving System with Arbaaz Khan and Aditya Roy Kapur. While analysing Fernandez’s career, India TV noted: “Slowly and steadily Jacqueline Fernandez is climbing up the ladder of success Jacqueline is comfortably grasping every aspect of the work, which an actress is required to do and is accordingly giving results.” On the contrary, Charu Thakur of India Today criticized her acting skills, but remarked that: ” managed to find her feet in Bollywood now by banking on glamorous roles”.

In 2017, Fernandez invested ₹35 million (US$490,000) in Rakyan Beverages’ Raw Pressery. The company claim that with this investment, Fernandez became India’s first celebrity to part-finance a consumer products firm.

Filmography

Films

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2009	Aladin	Jasmine
2010	Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai	Tara
	Housefull	Dhanno	Special Appearance in song “Aapka Kya Hoga (Dhanno)”
2011	Murder 2	Priya
2012	Housefull 2	Bobby Kapoor
2013	Race 2	Omisha
	Ramaiya Vastavaiya	Herself	Special Appearance in song “Jadoo Ki Jhappi”
2014	Kick	Shaina Mehra
2015	Roy	Ayesha/Tia
	Bangistan	Rosanna (Rosie)	Cameo
	Brothers	Jenny Fernandes
	Definition of Fear	Sarah Fording	British Film
2016	Housefull 3	Ganga “Gracy” Patel
	Dishoom	Ishika
	A Flying Jatt	Kriti
2017	According to Mathew	Daphne Reynolds	Sri Lankan Film
	A Gentleman	Kavya
	Judwaa 2	Alishka
2018	Baaghi 2	Herself	Special Appearance in song “Ek Do Teen”
	Race 3	Jessica Gomes
2019	Saaho	Herself	Trilingual film; special appearance in song “Bad Boy”
	Drive	Tara	Netflix film
2020	Mrs. Serial Killer	Sona Mukherjee	Netflix film
2021	Attack	TBA	Filming
	Bhoot Police	TBA	Filming
	Cirkus	TBA	Filming
2022	Bachchan Pandey	TBA	Filming

Television

Year	Title	Role
2016–2017	Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 9	Judge

Awards and nominations

Fernandez has won numerous awards mainly for her works in Housefull 2, its sequel Housefull 3, Murder 2, and Race 3.

Year	Organisation	Category	Nominated Work	Result	Ref.
2010	IIFA Awards	Debut of the Year – Female	Aladin	Won
	Central European Bollywood Awards	Best Breakthrough Performance – Female		Won
	Stardust Awards	Exciting New Face		Won
2012		Best Actress (Thriller/Action)	Murder 2	Nominated
2013	IIFA Awards	Best Actress in a Supporting Role	Housefull 2	Nominated
	15th Asianet Film Awards	Most Stylish Bollywood Actress	Herself	Won
2014	PETA India Awards	Woman of The Year Award	Herself	Won
2015	BIG Star Entertainment Awards	BIG Star Most Entertaining Dancer	Kick	Won
	Stardust Awards	Style Diva		Won
	Screen Awards	Best Actress (Popular Choice)		Nominated
	Filmfare Glamour & Style Awards	Emerging Face of Fashion (Female)	Herself	Nominated
2016	HT Most Stylish Awards	Asli-est Stylish Award		Won
	Ada Derana Sri Lankan Of The Year	Global Entertainer		Won
	Filmfare Glamour & Style Awards	Hotstepper Of The Year		Won
	Lux Golden Rose Awards	Entertainer of the Year		Won
	Stardust Awards	Best Actress	Housefull 3	Nominated
			Dishoom	Nominated
2017	Asian Voice Charity Awards	International Humanitarian Award	Herself	Won
	Vogue Beauty Awards	Fitspiration Award		Won
	Femina Beauty Awards	Best Natural Beauty Award	Herself	Won
2017	Filmfare Style & Glamour Awards	Hotstepper of the Year		Won
	BIG Zee Entertainment Awards	Most Entertaining Actor in a Comedy Film – Female	Housefull 3	Nominated
		Most Entertaining Dancer – Male/Female	A Flying Jatt	Nominated
		Most Entertaining Dancer – Male/Female	Dishoom	Nominated
	GeoSpa AsiaSpa India Awards	Charismatic Personality of the Year	Herself	Won
	Lux Golden Rose Awards	Unstoppable Beauty Of The Year Award	Judwaa 2	Nominated
	Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards India	Best Movie Actor (Female)		Nominated
2018	PETA India Awards	Digital Activism Award	Herself	Won
2018	Lux Golden Rose Awards	Lux Golden Rose Charismatic Beauty Of The Year Award	Race 3	Won