It’s not been an easy ride for Jacqueline Fernandez, the former Miss Sri Lanka who represented her country in the Miss Universe contest in 2006. As her country descended into civil war when she was a child, her family upped sticks and moved to Bahrain. However, she blossomed there, excelling in sports and languages – she speaks French, Spanish and Arabic as second languages. “Being independent and accomplished was imperative to me and I always demanded the best of myself. Perfectionism is my strongest asset,” she says.
She then moved to Australia, gaining a degree in Media & Communications and now she finds herself filming opposite Amitabh Bachchan and Riteish Deshmukh for Aladdin in the role of Princess Jasmine.
Jacqueline claims to have learned much from being a beauty queen. “I learnt the benefits of being fit and healthy not just for the pageant but for life,” she says, “It was a tough couple of months prior to the pageant.”
Then there was the charitable side, brought on by the recognition and influence that being a beauty queen can bring: “There was the serious responsibility of supporting charitable organizations. I had already been working with one charity but after I won the title I was also able to help several others.” In particular, she was keen to help in the aftermath of the tsunami. “The sponsorship program for kids affected by the tsunami in Matara kept my hands full and kept me going as a person,” she explains. “The spiritual fulfillment obtained from helping and contributing is as therapeutic as any medicine in the market.”
With beauty, a heart of gold and no little acting talent, we can expect to hear a lot more of Jacqueline Fernandez.
