Alaya F

Alaya Furniturewalla[1] (born 28 November 1997), known by her stage name Alaya F, is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. She is the daughter of actress Pooja Bedi, as well as maternal granddaughter of veteran actor Kabir Bedi and late dancer Protima Bedi.[2] She made her film debut in 2020 through a leading role in the comedy Jawaani Jaaneman, which won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.[3]

Alaya F was born on 28 November 1997 to actress Pooja Bedi and businessman Farhan Ebrahim Furniturewalla.[4] She has one younger brother, Omar Furniturewala, and one half-sibling Zaan Furniturewala. She is the granddaughter of actor Kabir Bedi and former model and classical dancer Protima Bedi.[5] She studied at Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai. Before making her film debut, she earned a diploma in acting at the New York Film Academy and later changed her name to Alaya F.[6] She is presently training to be a contemporary and kathak dancer.[7]

She made her Hindi film debut with Nitin Kakkar’s Jawaani Jaaneman (2020), a family comedy-drama, in which she played a 21-year-old girl claiming a 40-year-old person who has a hatred for marriages (played by Saif Ali Khan) to be her father. The film was produced under the banner Pooja Entertainment and received mixed reviews from critics but Alaya received praise for her debut.[8]