Bling it on!

Amy Jackson was a forgotten actress, a pretty face who came in a much-hyped film Ek Deewana Tha, only until the release of Singh Is Bling. Even though it had superstar Akshay Kumar leading the charge, Amy, too, seems to have endeared herself to the audience with her role that was a combination of action and romance.

The actress was only 17 when she did her first film. “Everybody thinks my first film was the Hindi film Ek Deewana Tha, but that’s not right. I made my debut in a Tamil film titled Madrasapattinam. I knew nothing about the industry when I was thrown into acting. I was completely alien to that world. But when I finally saw myself on the big screen, I decided I wanted to make a mark here. I was supposed to do a south film with Gautam Menon but he offered me Ek Deewana Tha. After that released, I got some big offers from the south. I did films like Thaandavam, Yevadu. When I was working with Shankar, I was bound by a contract that prevented me from signing other films. That was a big risk but I learnt a lot in that process.”

Singh is Bling has turned out to be a good comeback film changing the route of Amy’s career. She’s gradually becoming a sought-after name in Mumbai now and she has been going through many scripts. Amy has already bagged the lead role opposite Rajinikanth in Robot 2.

She says, “I still can’t sleep and I can’t stop smiling at the huge numbers Singh Is Bling has garnered. We had such a fun time on the sets shooting for this film. Bollywood heroines look pretty and dance, but the action element was new. I wasn’t sure if the audiences would appreciate it. When we went to the theatres on Friday, they were clapping and whistling. I am happy they are happy. And hats off to Akshay Kumar for letting me do this. It’s not every day that he sits back and lets somebody else take on the mantle of action.”

Amy admits that working with S. Shankar in the blockbuster I shaped her career for better. She’s set to work with him again in Robot 2. “Working with Shankar for two-and-a-half years for a film like that helped me a lot in gaining confidence. I had to learn Tamil and do it properly as there was no prompting and no boards. It was a performance-based character and that taught me a lot about how it all works here. I also learnt about the work ethics in the south film industry and I was able to give my passion a better direction.”

Now, learning to speak fluent Hindi is the next step for Amy. “I spend two hours with my Hindi coach Vinod Tharani every day. I am well aware that speaking good Hindi is a must for a Bollywood heroine. I am also attending dance classes. I know I require both to make a mark here,” she says.

With Singh Is Bling out of the way, Amy is now gearing for her big Diwali release Thanga Magan with Dhanush. She says, “I have big projects with Dhanush and Vijay down south. Dhanush’s film is the big Diwali release and I really like my role in it. It’s a very gritty role and there is no glamour involved. In Vijay’s film I play a schoolteacher.”

As of now Amy is clear that she wants to focus more on her career in Bollywood. “I loved working with Akshay, he is great fun and gets the job done brilliantly. I do have a wish list of people I’d love to work with. Salman Khan is a superstar and it would be amazing to do a film with him. I would also like to do film that would be relevant to the youth. Being 23, I can relate to those subjects. Among the young actors, there is a lot of good talent. I find Varun Dhawan fantastic and so is Arjun Kapoor.”

Having packed her bags from Liverpool for an acting career in India, who is Amy’s support system? She says that her parents flew down during the release week of SIB.

“Mum and dad are here as of now, they stay with me. Friends are in and out of the city. My parents are my biggest support system. I wish my mum could stay with me permanently. She was with me during my first two or three films, spending 20 hours on the sets. They being around always makes me feel secured.”

She shares an anecdote about her hometown Liverpool. “Every time my movie releases here, my friends and family do a premiere in Liverpool. All of them come together to attend the screening,” she says with a smile.