Alaya F is turning out the noise

Alaya F doesn’t quite fit the Gen Z mould. She moves with striking discipline, views problems as privileges, treats fitness as a lifestyle rather than a trend, and seems far more interested in intentional living than mindless scrolling.

At 5 pm, she appears on our Zoom call—right on cue—while I battle an unforgiving internet connection. “Let’s keep our video turned off,” I suggest, apologising for joining a few minutes late. In an effort to recover from my flustered start, I quickly enquire about her day.

“A bit stressful, and a bit busy. There’s a lot of exciting stuff I’m currently working on. I wish I could tell you more,” she responds, prompting me to probe further. “Just a lot of very important discussions and decisions. However, I did manage to get some meditation in right before our interview. I needed to ground my energy,” she says, sidestepping the question.

A quiet awakening

Alaya admits she’s someone who tends to fill up her days no matter what. “I don’t have the ability to sit still for too long. I need a goal to work towards, to be building or creating something. I get a high out of it,” she explains. 

There’s a refreshing assuredness to the 28-year-old, who recently adapted Andy Frisella’s 75 Hard Challenge into a personalised physical and mental routine. Yet she confesses that fitness wasn’t her strong suit until the pandemic hit in 2020.

“I had never done yoga in my life before that,” she says, adding, “Fitness and social media sort of fuelled each other for me.” It was only during the second lockdown—when she began formally training with a yoga teacher in Goa—that her fitness journey kicked off. 

“I think my body responded really well to it, and I ended up posting a lot of content. People simply assumed I was very disciplined and healthy…which certainly wasn’t the case. And then I was like, ‘You know what? I have two options here. I can either sit and feel like a fraud, or actually work towards becoming fit.’ I made my pick, and it completely transformed my life.”

Focus over noise

The actor’s wellness approach has since evolved into something more holistic: A curated consumption of food, content, and people. Though social media falls under the purview of her work, Instagram notifications are perpetually turned off and the widget buried deep inside a hidden folder. 

Instead, Alaya chooses to reorient her attention toward more meaningful content. “I like listening to inspiring people talk and filtering out the rest. I used to enjoy reality television, but now it’s just brain-rotting, you know? I’ve been trying to make more time to read and meditate, and my walks are non-negotiable,” she says. 

For her, it’s about fostering healthy micro habits that seem insignificant but pile up over time to create lasting change. “I’ve done a deep-clean. It’s also about filtering your circle of people—deciding who and what should get your attention so you’re not stuck in an endless loop of decision fatigue.”

A similar philosophy extends to her career. Just six years old in the film industry—she made her debut alongside Saif Ali Khan in Jawaani Jaaneman (2020)—and with six major feature films under her belt, Alaya says she’s far removed from the 22-year-old version of herself. 

“It’s strange. Just last night, I was feeling super nostalgic. Despite hailing from an industry family, I came in really raw and naive. I hadn’t figured out my presentation—what works for my body type, hairstyles, makeup. And apart from the actual craft, I was completely clueless. It was only later that I realised acting is a very small part of the job. On a film set, just about 20 per cent of your time goes into acting. I was disillusioned with what I had signed up for.”

Stepping out of frame

But over the last six years, she has grown to love even the parts of the job that she once didn’t. Still, navigating the cynical world of cinema comes with its own highs and lows. Last year, the actor took an intentional break from Bollywood to turn her focus inward.

“I realised I had started making decisions based on outcomes rather than from the heart. I had stopped listening to my gut and became more focused on other people’s perspectives,” Alaya admits. “The more weight you give to other people’s opinions, the less you can trust your own intuition. Somewhere in 2024, I felt the burden of that,” she adds.

It’s nearing 6pm, and I recall Alaya mentioning that she had to get a second workout in. Mindful of the minutes slipping by, I move things along. She goes on to tell me that she had an epiphany of sorts, which compelled her to take a break. “What do I want to do? What type of actor do I want to be? There’s so much more to who I am and what I want to create over the next few years.” 

Raising the bar

Alaya recently wrapped shooting two projects and is quietly building something she has been working on for the last year or so but doesn’t yet have the liberty to talk about. The actor was last seen playing Veera Swathi in Srikanth (2024), opposite RajKummar Rao. And after having worked with actors and filmmakers of such calibre across genres, she holds herself to a much higher standard—often forgetting to take a moment to soak it all in.

“Along the way, I’ve learnt to count my blessings. If you surround yourself with good people and conduct yourself with integrity, you can find a sense of peace and grounding—even in an industry as mad as ours.” 

Today, she pursues every project with the same enthusiasm that 22-year-old Alaya did. “I need to really believe in what I’m creating. I have to look at a project and be like, ‘I cannot wait to dive into this character and collaborate with these people.’ When I’m in, I’m all in—100 per cent.”

She also thinks it takes a certain kind of “madness” to work in an industry as demanding and unpredictable as theirs. “It’s very all-consuming, unstable, and can cause a great deal of insecurity. But if you’re going to be mad, you might as well be all mad and enjoy the ride.” 

The actor will next be seen in Storm, an upcoming high-stakes thriller series produced by Hrithik Roshan’s HRX Films—streaming exclusively on Prime Video—that follows five women caught at the centre of a lethal scam unraveling through a web of lies. Alaya remains committed to choosing powerful roles with meaty parts. “That’s the template I’m following—I’m just doing work that I feel really passionate about.” 

Privilege and perspective

This is not to say she isn’t conscious of the conversations around nepotism and the overscrutiny that often comes with being a star kid. The daughter of actor Pooja Bedi and granddaughter of veteran actor Kabir Bedi, Alaya says, “I have never taken my privilege or access lightly. All of it is a blessing, but also the result of a lot of hard work. I’m just very grateful.”

More recently, she addressed online speculation around her appearance. “I was like, ‘What I’ve done with my own hard work, why are you giving credit to doctors?’ I just found it funny. Besides, I’m flattered. It means whatever I am doing is working. People often want a quick fix, but if you stick to the smaller things for long enough, you’ll see big results. I take it all with a grain of salt,” she laughs. 

But beneath the candour and quiet confidence lies a deeper commitment to cultivating a healthier relationship with herself. “There is no relationship that supersedes the one you have with yourself. If you can cultivate a supportive and nurturing relationship with yourself, you are truly unstoppable. Nothing can break you, because you will always have you,” she concludes.

Editor: Snigdha Ahuja (@snigdha.ahuja)
Interview: Diya J Verma (@diyajverma)
Photographer: Sushant Chhabria (@sushantchhabria)
Stylist: Sheefa Gilani (@sheefajgilani) 
Cover Design: Mandeep Singh Khokhar (@mandy_khokhar19)
Makeup Artist: Mitali Vakil (@mitalivakil)
Hair Artist: Sandeep Chaupal (@sandeepchaupal_hair)
Editorial Coordinator: Shalini Kanojia (@shalinikanojia)
Set Design: Purnima Nath (@visualsbypurnima)
Fashion Assistants: Amisha Thakkar (@amisha.thakkarr) and Aanchal Upadhyay (@aanch.upadhyay)
Fashion Intern: Riddhi Sawhney (@riddhisawhney_)

On Alaya: Pink set, Victoria’s Secret (@victoriassecretindia); pink shirt, Maje (@majeparis) (@reliancebrandsltd); red jacket, Dhruv Kapoor (@dhruvkapoor); jewellery, Nishani Studio (@nishanistudio) and Kefi (@kefi__jewellery); breeze tote bag in red, Miraggio (@miraggiolife)