# Alaya F

Aalia Furniturewala (born 28 November 1997), known by her stage name Alaya F, is an American actress who appears in Hindi films. Born into the Bedi family, she is the daughter of actress Pooja Bedi. She made her acting debut in 2020 with the comedy film Jawaani Jaaneman, for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She has since starred in the thriller Freddy (2022) and the biopic Srikanth (2024).

## Early life and background

Alaya F was born Aalia Furniturewala on 28 November 1997, in Los Angeles, United States to Indian parents, actress Pooja Bedi and businessman Farhan Ebrahim Furniturewala. Her mother was based in the United States with her family at the time of her birth. She is of Parsi and Gujarati descent on her father's side and Punjabi, Haryanvi, British and Bengali descent on her mother's side. She is the granddaughter of actor Kabir Bedi and classical dancer Protima Bedi.
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. She is presently training to be a Contemporary and Kathak dancer. In 2011, she appeared on the reality show, Maa Exchange, with her mother.

## Career

Alaya made her film debut with Nitin Kakkar's Jawaani Jaaneman (2020), a family comedy-drama, in which she played a pregnant 21-year-old girl who uncovers the identity of her father. Bollywood Hungama noted, "Alaya makes an excellent debut and puts up a confident act. She looks gorgeous and is the only actor who moves viewers to an extent". While Vibha Maru of India Today mentioned "Alaya will steal your heart. She is just a natural in front of the camera." She earned the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut for her performance.
Alaya next played the antagonist as a woman in an abusive marriage who seeks help from her dentist (played by Kartik Aaryan) in the 2022 thriller Freddy. Devesh Sharma of Filmfare described Alaya as both "vulnerable" and "cunning". She then appeared in Anurag Kashyap's romance Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat (2023), opposite Karan Mehta. Grace Cyril of India Today was appreciative of Alaya's growth as an actress, and thought that she "portrayed both her characters with ease, perfection and brings out the innocence in her so well". The film emerged as a box-office bomb. In the same year, she played a news intern in the Zee5 film, U-Turn. Deepa Gahlot praised her for "holding the film together, pulling out the right emotions required, and not letting the slightest scepticism leak out of those large, expressive eyes."
In 2024, Alaya played an IT specialist in Ali Abbas Zafar's actioner Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, co-starring Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff. It was theatrically released on Eid to negative reviews from critics and emerged as a box-office bomb. She then played the girlfriend of blind entrepreneur Srikanth Bolla in his biopic Srikanth, opposite Rajkummar Rao. Pratikshya Mishra of The Quint noted that she "leaves a mark" despite her limited screen time.

## Media image

Alaya is a celebrity endorser for several brands and products including Lenskart and Nykaa. She became the face of Nykaa's "A Million Nakhras" campaign in 2022. Alaya was ranked 42nd in Times' 50 Most Desirable Women List of 2020. In 2023, Alaya was placed in Eastern Eye's "30 under 30 Asians" list.

## Filmography
### Films

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2015 | Snow White and the Satan Dwarves | — | Short; also screenplay writer |
| 2020 | Jawaani Jaaneman | Tia Singh | |
| 2022 | Freddy | Kainaaz Irani | |
| 2023 | Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat | Amrita / Ayesha | |
| 2023 | U-Turn | Radhika Bakshi | |
| 2024 | Bade Miyan Chote Miyan | Dr. Parminder "Pam" Bawa | |
| 2024 | Srikanth | Veera Swathi | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
| 2011 | Maa Exchange | Participant | Along with her mother Pooja Bedi | |

### Music videos

| Year | Title | Singer | Ref. |
| 2021 | "Aaj Sajeya" | Goldie Sohel | |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| 2021 | 66th Filmfare Awards | Best Female Debut | Jawaani Jaaneman | Won |
| 2023 | Bollywood Hungama Style Icons | Most Stylish Breakthrough Talent (Female) | — | Nominated |
| 2024 | Bollywood Hungama Style Icons | Most Stylish Solid Performer of the Year | — | Won |