Last Updated: January 01, 2023, 13:37 IST
Alaya F made her Bollywood debut with Jawaani Jaaneman.
Freddy saw Alaya F playing Kainaaz, a demure wife, who is also a victim of domestic abuse.
More than two years after her debut film Jawaani Jaaneman (2020), actor Alaya F returned to the screens in 2022 with Freddy, a psychological thriller, co-starring actor Kartik Aaryan. And with the positive responses that largely came her way, she is thrilled and excited to have ended the year on a high note. The film saw her playing Kainaaz, a demure wife, who is also a victim of domestic abuse.
In an exclusive interaction with News18, she tells us that she continues to receive messages from the audience and she’s overwhelmed with the love pouring in. “The response has been really wonderful and overwhelming. People have really liked and enjoyed the film. Everywhere I go, people ask me to smile so that they can see if my teeth are fine. Random comments like this keep popping up on Instagram (laughs). If I post a photo, there are comments that read, ‘Arrey, daant waapas aa gaye’ and ‘Hardy ke saath aisa nahi karna chahiye tha’. It’s quite lovely actually. It’s a good feeling,” says an excited Alaya.
Born to actor Pooja Bedi, the 25-year-old recalls her mother’s feedback to Freddy. “My mother is just so excited to see me onscreen at any point. When I popped up on the screen for my first shot in Freddy, she immediately started sobbing. I think she’ll always love everything that I do because she’s my mom at the end of the day. She’s very proud of me as are my other family members. I feel so grateful to be able to make them so proud,” she states.
It is often said that an actor’s second film is a true litmus test to their career and determines their longevity in show business. While she was nervous prior to the release of the film, she heaves a sigh of relief now. She says that it has helped instilled faith in her own choices and that Freddy is a perfect second film to be a part of after Jawaani Jaaneman. “It has been such a blessing. I’m someone who takes decisions solely based on my gut. I feel like if you go by your gut but it still lands up being a wrong choice, it won’t feel wrong. Freddy never felt like a wrong choice and it wasn’t a one either. Its success is a big celebration. I feel very lucky,” she says, adding, “When I look back, I feel so grateful that Jawaani Jaaneman was my first film. I also feel happy that Freddy is my second film. These two projects have been really special for me.”
What made 2022 also memorable for her was attending the Marrakech International Film Festival for the world premiere of her upcoming film, Almost Pyaar With DJ Mohabbat, directed by filmmaker Anurag Kashyap. Talking about it, Alaya says, “The experience was surreal. We went there thinking it would be around 10,000 people but it turned out that there were 40,000 people! The response was great. It’s intimidating but exhilarating at the same time. Anurag sir is such a wonderful guide and mentor. He held mine and Karan’s (Mehta; co-star) hands through it all.”
As she awaits the theatrical release of the film in India, she reminisces how the film festival offered her an epiphany like never before. “It was one-of-a-kind moment where I was just doing something and then I realised, ‘Oh my god! This is my life now. I’m actually living this moment and this experience.’ I felt so blessed to have an experience like this. Not many people get the opportunity to have this. It’s quite an amazing feeling. 3rd February is when the film will release here and I’m really looking forward to that,” shares Alaya.
As the world rings in 2023, the actor, who has been shooting for Sri, a biopic on industrialist Srikant Bholla, with actors Rajkummar Rao and Jyothika, says that though she isn’t big on resolutions, she plans on making the most of everything this year and live every moment to the fullest. “Sometimes I do take New Year resolutions if I feel strongly about something but I don’t like taking resolutions just for the sake of it. I really need to feel it from within. This year, my resolution is quite a general one. I want to make the most of everything that comes my way. I don’t want to do anything half-heartedly. Whatever opportunities come my way, if I take them, I want to milk them for all their worth,” shares Alaya, who will also be seen in producer Ekta Kapoor’s U Turn, a remake of the 2016 Kannada thriller of the same name.
