Alaya F had an unusual start in Bollywood as she played a pregnant woman in her debut film Jawaani Jaaneman this year. The actor, who was seen in the role of Saif Ali Khan’s daughter, has revealed the “real-looking, prosthetic belly” gave her a backache.
Sharing the best compliment she got for her performance, Alaya told Mumbai Mirror in an interview, “That I looked cute with a pregnant belly. It was a very real-looking, heavy prosthetic belly which gave me a backache. I was excited about getting pregnant till I realised the abs I’d taken months to acquire would be covered up.”
The actor calls Jawaani Jaaneman the perfect first film and claimed, “Not one criticism for my performance; it was too good to be true! So then, the hunt began for one bad review, even among the YouTube trolls.”
Alaya said she wanted to capitalise on the beginning and even told her manager that she would like to be overworked. Opening up about how it all came to a standstill due to lockdown, she said, “There was a lot of guilt associated with being unproductive. Now, there’s no choice, so I’m working on my art, cleaning out cupboards, learning to play the piano and cook.”
Alaya is the daughter of actor Pooja Bedi and granddaughter of actor Kabir Bedi. Both her father Farhan Furniturewala and her mother’s families had attended the special screening of the film. The Hindustan Times review called Jawaani Jaaneman a breezy watch and read, “Alaya F is a good fit for Tia, the girl out to find her dad. Vulnerable and honest, her chemistry with Saif lifts the film.”
The film was most shot in London and featured Alaya as a 21-year-old Tia who shows up at Saif Ali Khan’s doorstep with a 33.3% chance of him being her father. Tabu, Chunky Panday, Farida Jalal and Kubbra Sait also played pivotal parts in the film.
