Jawaani Jaaneman (2020), where her performance was appreciated, Alaya shot three movies — ‘Freddy’ opposite Kartik Aaryan, U-Turn and a supernatural thriller for which she was recently seen shooting in Pune and details of which she wants to keep under wraps — all in a period of few months. She agrees that as a Gen Z, constant attention, being in the public and media scrutiny do sometimes get overwhelming for her, but she feels blessed to be getting the attention and deals it with positively. Alaya, who moved into a new home, is excited about setting up her ‘own place’ and getting all Christmassy. In an exclusive interview with us, the actress talks about why she loves Pune, the importance of keeping it real on social media, wanting to play a queer character, among other things…
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Alaya, when you arrived in Pune, the weather was foggy and there was a chill in the air, something you don’t get to experience in Mumbai. How did you like the city?
Alaya spotted shooting in Pune
Pic: Shashank Sane
It was very foggy for the entire duration that I was there, especially at night. We were doing a lot of the shooting at night and it was so surreal. It’s not something you get to experience very often in Mumbai, so it was very exciting in a lot of ways. It was so foggy that you could barely see anything ahead of you. The fact that it was cold, was a big benefit because all our shooting was happening outdoors and the weather made it so comfortable. Pune has great weather anyway. I think Pune is a great city, but unfortunately, I didn’t have much time to experience the local culture and food this time around as I was on a very tight schedule. The city is very vibrant and lively and I enjoy coming here.
As a 24-year-old how do you deal with all the fame, attention and eyeballs?
Alaya F
I do get overwhelmed a little bit, but even if it is overwhelming, it’s in a positive way. I think it’s more fun than anything else because every day is a new experience and I’m really enjoying it. I’m sure sometimes it gets overwhelming in a bad way, too, but you have to realise that you’re blessed to be getting the attention and put things into great perspectives.
How was your experience of working with Kartik Aaryan in Freddy and different from that of working with seniors like Saif Ali Khan and Tabu in your debut film?
Alaya with Kartik Aaryan on the sets of ‘Freddy,’ clicked on the day they wrapped the shoot of the film
Pic: Instagram/@alayaf
Actually not very different! Whether it is Kartik or Saif sir or Tabu ma’am, these people really know what they do and they have a very strong hold over the performances they give. They are all aware of the films that they are doing and the characters that they playing and that is just wonderful. I got to learn so much from each of their approaches to films. All of them were generous and it was wonderful to be around them as I was able to learn and grow a lot in that environment. I feel grateful to have worked with such lovely people so early on in my career. It really is a blessing!
The actress shared a poster of ‘Jawaani Jaaneman’
‘Jawaani Jaaneman’ saw you playing a regular Gen Z who wants to build a bond with her father. How do you select your scripts?
Alaya F looks stunning in her latest photoshoot
Pic: Instagram/@alayaf
Each of my films is very different from the other. Luckily, after my first film, some very interesting roles came my way which demanded a lot out of me and that I think is great! The kind of roles that were being offered was a great validation for me because it meant that people believed I could pull them off. It also gave me a great sense of confidence. I actively want to do diverse roles and I don’t want to bracket myself as an actor by limiting myself to doing certain types of role. I feel, it’s too early for me to bracket myself and hopefully, I never really have to do that. I select my scripts with a mixture of brain and gut. Having said that, I try to balance both because I am very new and I don’t always trust my gut 100%.
What are the best career and personal life advice you’ve got from your mother Pooja Bedi and your grandfather Kabir Bedi?
Alaya shares an adorable post on her mother Pooja Bedi’s birthday:
Mom always focuses on kindness and emphasises treating everyone around me with respect and warmth all the time. She always told me that people will always remember you by the impression you leave on them so that has definitely stuck with me. As for my grandfather, it was just discipline and work ethics. He always stressed the importance of sticking to your words and never to your work lightly or frivolously. He taught me to take my work seriously.
The actress receives the best debut actress trophy from her dearest nana Kabir Bedi:
Unlike many star kids, there wasn’t a media frenzy or paparazzi following you before your debut film and yet you managed to woo everyone over with your skills and confidence. Is your confidence innate or does it come from the fact that you train hard — first studied acting and now learning classical dance and contemporary?
My confidence definitely comes from the training that I’ve done and it would have been extremely naïve and silly of me to derive my confidence from just out of thin air. I feel confident because I know that I’m a big pepper and I take preparation and training very seriously. It is something that I constantly do. It is the best place to derive your confidence from because you know if you falter any way you know exactly where you have to go back in training to make sure that you know you don’t falter again at the same thing. It’s like a mental crutch for me where I feel like I’ve done what I need to do and now the rest I can just sort of leave up to my instincts.
The actress keeps giving her fans a peek into her dance practise:
Are you competitive as an actor, meaning do you ever say, “I wish I had got this role?”
Of course, I’m very competitive! I think you have to be a little competitive if you want to be in this industry but I think the main thing is not to make that competitiveness negative. Being competitive drives and motivates you, keeps you in check so that you don’t take things for granted. There are people out there who are doing such wonderful work in an effective way. You look up to them and want to do better. The bottom line is to keep the competitiveness positive and productive and not negative and bitter because then it doesn’t serve any purpose. It will only add to everyone’s already existing stresses. If you take your competitive nature and put it into training, working hard and trying to learn new things, you can only reap more benefits and get more rewards.
Do you watch and observe the work of your contemporaries like Sara, Janhvi, Ananya? What do you think of their work?
Of course, I do I make it a point to keep in touch with everyone’s work and I think all of them are doing incredibly well. They are doing great work. They’re just doing phenomenal work and I have a great deal to learn from all of them. I am very happy for all of them.
If there was ever a remake of ‘Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikandar
, and you were asked to play the character your mom played. What would be your reaction?
I would not play the character my mum played. I would think that would be too gimmicky. Besides we are very different as actors. I don’t think we are similar in our approach towards acting or our image as actors in general. She was known for different things and I’m very new so I don’t really know what I’m known for. Instead, I would like to play the role that Ayesha Jhulka ma’am played. I think that would be interesting and fun if ‘
Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikandar’ was to be made again.
From flaunting your stretch marks to posting no-makeup selfies, and posting goofy videos. You don’t shy away from being real on social media. Why do you think doing that is important for you?
The 24-year-old proundly flaunts her stretch marks in her holiday pictures:
I feel, on social media, so many people are being ‘perfect’ that someone has to be imperfect. I’m not perfect in any way and I don’t think anyone really is! It is crucial for everyone, especially, young girls and boys out there to realise that all of this is filtered and tailor-made for Instagram. And although I’m all for the glamour side of it, and okay with looking flawless and retouched, here’s the thing, I want people to know that looking glamorous is just a part of my job and that is not who I am in real life. Therefore, adding that authenticity to my social media posts is imperative. It is refreshing that a lot of people are now turning to that approach and it is a lot more real and approachable on social media. You don’t need to be perfect all the time because people are now looking to see the imperfections and searching for that little relatability in everyone. It is something that just comes naturally for me and when I saw that people really want to see that side to me, I kept up with it.
Pic: Instagram/@alayaf
From Navya Nanda to Ira Khan, Bella Hadid and a slurry of young celebrities like yourself, have spoken about mental health. What difference does it make in changing the narrative around mental health and shaking the stigma when people like yourself speak about it?
The more there is a conversation around mental health, the more normalised it will be. Everyone is currently is going through mental health struggles and it is a reality today. We’re all humans and we all face challenges in life, go through ups and downs. Nobody can stay strong through everything and that’s okay. There are times when you will feel weaker and don’t really know how to deal with situations, and it’s a human thing. The more we talk about it, the more people will realise that they are not alone and that makes it a lot more comforting when you’re trying to help yourself. Starting a positive conversation around mental health is extremely important and gradually it is happening. Now people are a lot more comfortable addressing mental health issues and it’s wonderful!
The narrative around the LGBTQIA+ characters in Hindi films are changing and now actors like Ayushmann Khurrana, Sonam Kapoor, Vaani Kapoor, Manoj Bajpayee have seen playing queer characters. Do you see yourself playing a gay character?
Absolutely! Why not? I see myself playing any sort of character. Playing a queer character onscreen is such a wonderful move because just like mental health, I feel, if they’re more films on queer issues, and the more people see LGBTQI+ characters onscreen, the more it be normalised. Cinema, in general, plays a big part in influencing how people view certain things and when you have a responsibility of playing someone from the community and making choices that are more inclusive, it is only going to help change the narrative. I think it’s wonderful that popular actors are turning to roles that are inclusive. I would love to play a key character that’s queer.
Any plans of venturing into OTT?
One hundred per cent! I’m open to any sort of medium and working in any language. I don’t want to restrict myself in any way. I want to do everything. That’s the goal now let’s see how everything plays out!
What are your plans for Christmas?
I was going to travel for Christmas but the new variant of the virus calls for us to be cautious. With COVID cases on the rise now, I’m not sure if that would be possible, so let’s see! If I can’t travel then I’ll just have a lovely Christmas celebration at home. I’ve just moved into my own place so I’ll probably get a Christmas tree and do it up nicely.
What have been your biggest learnings from 2021?
To just take a step back and take a moment to breathe. I’ve been someone who felt guilty about taking a moment to myself for not being able to meet a deadline and not giving 1000% to every single thing I was doing. I’ve realised that a lot of times, that hustle causes a lot of stress. My biggest learning in 2021 was to learn to take a break when I need to and breathe when I wanted while everyone else can wait a little bit. This is something that I will definitely carry into the years ahead because taking time out for myself and my mental health is so important. Working hard doesn’t mean that I need to be running every second of my life. It’s important to take care of myself.
What are your hopes for 2022?
I really really hope and wish for great opportunities and I hope that I can do justice to those opportunities. I hope that we will get to see a lot more of me and hopefully they like it.
