Alaya F

Alaya F is an Indian actress known for her work in Hindi-language films. Born Aalia Furniturewalla on 28 November 1997 in Los Angeles, California, U.S., she is the daughter of actress Pooja Bedi and businessman Farhan Ebrahim Furniturewala, and the granddaughter of veteran actor Kabir Bedi. She adopted the professional name Alaya F for her acting career.^[1] She made her acting debut with the comedy-drama Jawaani Jaaneman (2020), starring opposite Saif Ali Khan and Tabu, where her performance as the millennial daughter won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut and earned positive notice from critics and audiences. She followed with leading roles in the horror-thriller Freddy (2022) alongside Kartik Aaryan, Anurag Kashyap's Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat (2023), and the thriller U-Turn (2023). Her subsequent films include supporting roles in Srikanth (2024) and a special appearance in Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (2024). Her early career has established her as a promising talent in contemporary Bollywood, with additional appearances in music videos and brand endorsements highlighting her appeal in youth-oriented projects.

Early life

Family background and heritage

Alaya F was born Aalia Furniturewalla on 28 November 1997 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. ^[1] She is the daughter of actress Pooja Bedi and businessman Farhan Ebrahim Furniturewala. ^{[2] [3]} She is the granddaughter of actor Kabir Bedi and classical dancer Protima Bedi, making her a member of the Bedi family. ^{[3] [2]} Alaya adopted the professional stage name Alaya F before her film debut, reportedly to avoid confusion with actress Alia Bhatt. She comes from a mixed heritage background, with Parsi and Gujarati descent on her father's side and Punjabi, Haryanvi, British, and Bengali descent on her mother's side. ^[2]

Childhood and early media exposure

Alaya F was raised in Mumbai, India, where she spent her childhood. She grew up in a family with strong ties to Indian cinema and dance, being the daughter of actress Pooja Bedi and granddaughter of actor Kabir Bedi and dancer Protima Bedi. Her first exposure to media came as a child participant on the reality television show Maa Exchange in 2011, where she appeared alongside her mother Pooja Bedi as part of a mother-daughter pair that swapped households for the show's format. The experience provided an early glimpse into reality television for the young Alaya, who was around 13 years old at the time. This appearance marked her initial on-screen presence before any professional acting pursuits.

Education and training

Alaya F attended Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai, where she completed her IGSCE and IB curriculum. ^{[4] [3]} She later pursued professional acting preparation at the New York Film Academy, graduating from the one-year Acting for Film conservatory program at the New York campus in Fall 2016, where she trained under experienced faculty in technical, emotional, and physical aspects of film acting. ^[5] Alaya F maintains ongoing training in dance, focusing on contemporary dance and the classical Indian form of Kathak. ^[6] She has practiced Kathak under gurus including Rajendra Chaturvedi and associated instructors, sharing videos of intensive class sessions involving chakkars and extended practice. ^{[7] [6]} Her contemporary dance work has involved dedicated choreography and training sessions with instructors such as Utkarsh and Dimple Kotecha. ^[6]

Career

Film debut and breakthrough

Alaya F made her professional acting debut in the Hindi romantic comedy film Jawaani Jaaneman, which was released on 31 January 2020. She played the role of Tia Singh opposite Saif Ali Khan and alongside Tabu in a story centered on family dynamics and unexpected relationships. As a third-generation actress from the Bedi family—daughter of actress Pooja Bedi and granddaughter of veteran actor Kabir Bedi—she entered Bollywood with this project amid discussions of legacy and opportunity in the industry. Her performance in Jawaani Jaaneman garnered attention for its freshness and earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut at the 66th Filmfare Awards in 2021. The award held special significance as it was presented to her by her grandfather Kabir Bedi, marking a personal milestone in her early career breakthrough. This recognition established her presence as a promising new talent in Hindi cinema following her debut.

Subsequent film roles

Following her debut, Alaya F took on diverse roles in a mix of theatrical and OTT releases. In 2022, she played Kainaaz Irani opposite Kartik Aaryan in the romantic thriller Freddy, directed by Shashanka Ghosh and released on Disney+ Hotstar. The film centered on a shy dentist's dark side and received attention for its narrative twists. In 2023, Alaya F starred in Anurag Kashyap's Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat, portraying Amrita Suri in a film that explored intersecting stories of forbidden love and rebellion across different social worlds. Later that year, she appeared in the Zee5 thriller U-Turn, playing news intern Radhika Bakshi in a story involving a mysterious suicide case and media investigation. In 2024, she played Veera Swathi, the girlfriend of the visually impaired entrepreneur Srikanth Bolla, in the biographical drama Srikanth opposite Rajkummar Rao.

Other media appearances and upcoming projects

Alaya F has ventured into non-film media through music videos and brand endorsements. She appeared as the lead bride in the 2021 music video for "Aaj Sajeya," a wedding-themed song by Goldie Sohel, composed and written by the singer himself, directed by Punit Malhotra, and released under Saregama's Dharma 2.0 label. In the realm of brand campaigns, Alaya F served as the face of Lenskart's "Shape Up Your Fashion" integrated campaign launched in September 2022, which positioned eyewear as a key fashion accessory by highlighting shapes like playful rounds, cat-eyes, and geometrics to match diverse moods and personalities. Later that year, in October 2022, she fronted Nykaa Fashion's festive campaign "A Million Nakhras," embodying the "resident Nakhrewali" to showcase the platform's curated collections and special offers tailored for religious festivities, weddings, and other occasions. Her upcoming projects include a web series debut in the Amazon Prime Video thriller Storm (working title), a Mumbai-set high-stakes drama produced by Hrithik Roshan and Eshaan Roshan under HRX Films, with production beginning imminently following the announcement in October 2025. The series features an ensemble cast of strong women protagonists led by Parvathy Thiruvothu, Alaya F, Srishti Shrivastava, Rrama Sharma, and Saba Azad.

Awards and recognition

Alaya F has received the following awards and nominations: Note: The Bollywood Hungama Style Icons entries are fashion/style recognitions rather than film performance awards. Additional recognitions include her inclusion in The Times 50 Most Desirable Women list (ranked 42nd in 2020) and Eastern Eye's "30 under 30 Asians" list (2023), though these are not formal awards.

Filmography