'I chose Shankar over Salman': Amy Jackson

Amy Jackson who returns with Singh Is Bling says she was the first choice for Kick but insists that she's lost touch with old friends Sallu and Prateik.

British actress Amy Jackson made her Bollywood debut with the 2012 release Ek Deewana Tha, opposite Prateik Babbar. Their reel romance famously spilled onto real life but ended quickly and Amy soon vanished from the spotlight.

Three years later, she has returned to Mumbai from London and has also quickly bagged her big Bollywood comeback movie.

"My agent told me that producer Ashwini Yardi was looking for a girl to replace Kriti Sanon who wasn't a part of Singh is Bling anymore. I met Akshay (Kumar), the narration happened and we were on! Now, Ashwini is handling my work too," she informs.

Amy admits that since she's playing a desi girl in the film, she has to speak Hindi convincingly. "I'm taking classes, main Hindi seekh ke rahoongi," she says with a pronounced British accent.

Probe her about her vanishing act and the lady informs that she was busy down South, but not for lack of Bollywood offers.

"I just couldn't find the time for them. In fact, I was offered Kick but Shankar had a major chunk of my dates for I, so I chose him over the Salman Khan-starrer," she says.

Kick then went to Jacqueline Fernandez and became one of the biggest hits of last year.

Incidentally, Salman has a well-known firang-fixation and has been linked to a string of foreign beauties, from Katrina Kaif to Eli Avram to current squeeze, Romanian beauty Iulia Vantur.

Amy too was seen hanging out with Salman in early 2012. Is he still her friend, guide and mentor? "No, I haven't kept in touch with Salman. He's a huge star and I am hoping to get another opportunity to work with him," she sighs. Buzz is, she was also spotted getting cosy with another B-town heartthrob, Ranbir Kapoor. This query is greeted with another long-drawn sigh.

"I have become like a rhinoceros--thick-skinned--all the gossip about my numerous affairs does not bother me anymore. I've recently shifted to Mumbai and don't have many friends here. There's nothing going on with Salman or RK. I haven't even seen them of late. Even Prateik and I are no longer in touch," she asserts.

The focus now is not on love but martial-arts. To ward off men? "Not exactly," she chuckles. "I wake up at 5 am and train with my instructor for two hours. We have a repeat session in the evening. Akshay is in good shape and since my character too kicks some serious butt, I have to catch up."