Through Their Looking Glass

A self-made star, Jacqueline Fernandez rose through the ranks of Bollywood to find her place in the industry. Over her decade-long career, she has remained true to herself and that candour has inspired legions of her Instagram followers. She spoke to Bazaar about her next career move, the people who have inspired her, and her goals for the year.

It takes hard work to be Jacqueline Fernandez. On set with Bazaar, the Bahrain-born Sri Lankan star is cheerful, positive, and focussed on our shoot but she’s also constantly recording content for her own digital platforms, those of her team members, and prepping for her next slew of meetings. Fernandez isn’t one to hide what goes on behind the scenes in the life of a Bollywood actor. Via her Instagram feed, the star of the hugely successful Race and Housefull trilogies lets her 29.5 million followers into her attempts at mastering a backflip; shares her favourite smoothie recipe; chronicles the hours spent getting ready in a vanity van; and even posts the drawings she made at a sketching class. This willingness to share fragments of her life is perhaps what draws her fans to her. It’s also what makes her onscreen portrayals so endearing—whether it’s as a mother of a terminally ill child in Brothers or her double role in Roy where she played a determined filmmaker and an entitled heiress. For her interview with Bazaar we asked the actor 30 questions that let us into her current state of mind. Harper’s Bazaar: Tell us about your upcoming release. Jacqueline Fernandez: It’s my first outing on Netflix—a film called Mrs Serial Killer that’s a thriller but also a dark comedy.

HB: What’s the best thing about an online-only production?

JF: The content itself. It’s really, really good.

HB: When was the moment you decided you wanted to be an actor?

JF: I was seven years old, I think I was watching Gone with the Wind, and I just knew that I wanted to be that actress. I wanted to be Vivien Leigh.

HB: Who are some of your heroes in the industry?