Alaya F will be next seen in Bade Miyan Chote Miyan.
Alaya F opens up on nepotism, her debut right before the pandemic and the work mantra she lives by in an exclusive chat with Showsha.
Alaya F stepped into Bollywood with Jawaani Jaaneman, a 2020 comedy-drama film directed by Nitin Kakkar, starring Saif Ali Khan. As the film clocks four years, Alaya spoke to Showsha exclusively about her debut, if being from a film family has helped her get ahead in Bollywood and the kinds of roles she wants to take up now.
Recalling his debut just before the coronavirus pandemic, Alaya said, “After the pandemic, the whole industry was a whole new world and no one could figure out what’s working, what’s not working, people were not coming to the theatres for the longest time. I’m still grateful that I managed to get a release just before the lockdown. I carried the weight of all the love I received for the film through three years. Else, those three years would have drowned me. Having said that, I have been in the industry for four years now and two of those years don’t really count because there was a gap of three years between my first and second film. It’s not ideal, but then again, everyone has had their own journeys. I got a lot of love for the film and it helped me through the pandemic years.”
Speaking of debuting with an unconventional role, she said that she resonated with the character so much that the film seemed like tailor-made for her. “The character was just so much like me in real life. There was no way anyone else was going to play this!” she said.
Asked if being an insider helped her get films or if it was a struggle, she said that she’s just happy that people like her work. “It’s always a little bit of a fight, which I suppose, is good because it is a hard industry. And everyone is fighting their way through. The only difference for me a little bit was that through all my films, my performance and my work have been reviewed very positively. So, I think, I am doing what I have to do and people are liking it. What else do you need me to prove?” she reasoned.
On being asked if she is competitive with her contemporaries, Alaya shared, “I am extremely competitive, but it’s not a negative emotion in me. I want everyone to do well, but I want myself to do better. I use my competitive nature to motivate and fuel myself. My competitive streak has always pushed me to do better. I really am a very firm believer of good work. I think if you are kind to people, good things will happen to you. And that’s what I live by.”
Speaking of working with Rajkummar Rao in Srikanth Bolla’s biopic Sri, she said, “He’s just so in character – he’s so invested in acting. It’s incredible. I mean, it’s a masterclass watching him do what he does. He’s also really, really sweet, kind and a lovely person. So, it was great working with him!”
Alaya F will be seen in Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff starrer Bade Miyan Chote Miyan.
