'‘I'M MUCH TAMER THAN MOM''

YOUNG ALAYA FURNITUREWALA HAS INHERITED THE SASS FROM THE WOMEN IN HER LIFE. EXCERPTS FROM AN INTIMATE CHAT WITH JITESH PILLAAI

- JITESH PILLAAI

Her gene pool is dramatic. Her grandmother, actor-danseuse Protima Bedi, grabbed headlines when she dropped the garb of convention in the flower-power ’70s. Her mother, actor-host Pooja Bedi too was all about stark candour unlike her plasticine contemporaries. It’s not a surprise then that Alaya Furniturewala too chose to play out her dreams, her way. Her unconventional debut in Jawaani Jaaneman – where she played an unwed mother in search of her father – didn’t fetch a single bad review, so convincing was her act. Being part of a family that’s been free and fluid, Alaya F understood early that relationships are nurtured more with freedom than force. And that being a parent doesn’t entail a renunciation of personal pursuits. In a no-holds-barred interview, she shares how she’s enjoying this trip of finding her bearings both as an actor and a person…

WHAT WAS YOUR ROUTINE LIKE DURING THE LOCKDOWN?

It remained the same. Even now, I wake up around 10.30 am. I take a shower. I have breakfast. Then I draw a bit and chill. After that I go in to do video meetings and interviews. I have lunch. Around the sunset hour, the light is good. That’s when I shoot my social media content. After that, I read books. I’ve begun learning Photoshop. I’ve gone back to editing software, something I was learning at New York University (NYU). I read scripts too. (Smiles) Thankfully, people still remember who I am.

DID YOU TAKE UP COOKING?