By Arundhuti Banerjee
Mumbai, June 9 (IANS) Bollywood's Sri Lankan star Jacqueline Fernandez says entertainment is a brutal and unpredictable business where things change every Friday.
Jacqueline, who made her Bollywood debut in 2009 with "Aladin", is now a mainstream commercial actress, thanks to her successful films like "Kick" and "Judwaa 2", and hit franchises like "Houseful" and "Race".
But she says there is "no foolproof formula of success or failure".
"We are living in a cut-throat world and entertainment is a very brutal business where every Friday things change. There is no foolproof formula of success or failure here, but the result gives you the reality check every week," Jacqueline told IANS here.
"At times we get demotivated at so many different levels because everything changes on Friday -- fans, idea and loyalty. When things go right consistently, we tend to forget that it is a very fickle world where we are just a moment away from the opposite side of success," she added.
She feels that the brand of films or products that she endorses are a reflection of who she is in real life.
"When it comes to brand endorsement, I do not promote any brand where I do not believe in the product or the ideology of the brand," said the actress who was honoured by PETA India Awards for Digital Activism.
She also promotes the idea of veganism and "no animal testing" for cosmetic products.
"There were times when I refused to be associated with a brand from where I could have earned a huge amount of money but I knew that I would not use that product. And the fact is that I am very loyal towards my fans. I cannot go and tell my 18 million fans to use something that I do not believe in. I think from the heart."
So, is that coming from the mind of an actress who takes entertainment as a serious business of image-building or from the heart of an artiste?
"You know I think I am yet to reach a point from where I can call myself an artiste because I have to improve a lot on my craft of acting, but I surely understand the mind of an artiste -- which is pure, not calculative or manipulative.
"Yes, there is a risk factor involved in it because, at times, my decision works; at times, it doesn't... but every result teaches me something," replied the former beauty queen.
Jacqueline is playing the character of Jessica and sharing screen space with Salman Khan, Bobby Deol and Anil Kapoor in "Race 3".
Giving an insight into the thriller, she said: "This is not the continuation of 'Race 2'. It is a different story of a family where the narration has elements of mystery, power struggle, betrayal and suspense.
"Jessica fights hard, her punch is real punch, her gun fight is raw!"
Her character shows the physical strength of a woman in a fight sequence.
"It is great to see that we are getting the opportunity to project ourselves like real fighters and are as strong as our male counterparts. My character fights the way a girl would fight in real life if she is attacked," said Jacqueline.
Where does Jacqueline see herself after five years?
"I cannot predict because things are changing dramatically in the film industry and I am changing as an actor.
"So for me, while every opportunity takes you one step forward, one wrong decision can take you steps backwards, so I do not plan where I will be after five years. I want to go with the flow," she replied.
Directed by Remo D'souza, "Race 3" will release on June 15.
(Arundhuti Banerjee can be contacted at arundhuti.b@ians.in)
