Fear factor

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PTI

Jacqueline Fernandes Photo PTI

Jacqueline Fernandez talks about the experience of working in her first English film

Fear got a gorgeous face this week as Jacqueline Fernandez came to the city to promote Definition of Fear, her first English film. Directed by James Simpson, it stars three Canadian actresses – Mercedes Papalia, Katherine Barrell, Blythe Hubbard along with Jacqueline.

“The film is about how four girls who while spending a weekend in a holiday cabin discover they are not the only ones having fun,” said Simpson on the sidelines of the ongoing Delhi International Film Festival at the N.D.M.C. Convention Centre. The British filmmaker stated that the title is going to captivate the audience. “They will like to figure out the definition of fear. The idea is to give a new dimension to the concept of fear in horror genre,” he added.

Jacqueline said that she was both excited and nervous when she went to Canada for shooting the film. She confessed that though English was her first language, it was not really easy while shooting.

“Ironically, it was much easier for me shooting for Bollywood films where I had to learn Hindi dialogues. I discovered that as an actor you need to come out of your comfort zone and keep experimenting and exploring with roles,” confessed the actor.

Shedding light on the character she is portraying, Jacqueline says the character was really interesting as she has never in her career in movies played a negative role. Since she never attended an acting school the film proved to be a training experience for her. “I had to be completely different from what I have done in the past. Unlike Bollywood, in the West, there is no hero-heroine formula. A film could be about anything or anyone. Here the story is about four girls and nothing else.”

The actress of Sri Lankan origin likes to call herself a director’s actor. “I am totally dependent on my directors and do what they tell me to do. I can do it exactly like a robot,” she laughs.

Open to more such assignments, Jacqueline says world has become a small place with the increasing reach of cinema. “Now casting agents travel across the globe to find suitable actors.”

She said that the festival was a great platform for independent films like Definition of Fear to be noticed. “I am happy to contribute to the film’s promotion as hopefully my presence will add to the curiosity of Indian audience,” she added.