Alaya F thanks Anurag Kashyap for believing in her

Mumbai: Alaya F credited filmmaker Anurag Kashyap for giving her the confidence to debut as an actor.

Alaya has collaborated with the ace filmmaker for his upcoming movie ‘Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat’, a project that was offered to the actor before she made her debut with 2018’s ‘Jawaani Jaaneman’.

“I had signed this film before ‘Jaawani Jaaneman’. It was supposed to be my first film. It was back in 2018, so five years ago,” the 25-year-old actor told reporters.

She was speaking at the trailer launch event for ‘Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat’ along with Kashyap and co-star Karan Mehta.

Granddaughter of actor Kabir Bedi and daughter of Pooja Bedi, Alaya revealed that she went through a period of self-doubt before her debut.

“I was going everywhere and doubting whether I was made for this line. But I made this ‘Instagram’ reel out of instinct and Anurag sir saw it and called me. Then he offered me this film. After that came ‘Jawaani Jaaneman’ but that happened first. So, thank you, Anurag sir, for believing in me and instilling that self-belief in me,” Alaya said.

‘Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat’ is touted as an ode to modern love. It takes a look at modern-day young relationships and their exploration in a world plagued with prejudices, predatory behaviour and the unwillingness of older generations to accept them.

Karan Mehta, who makes his acting debut with the movie, revealed that it was Kashyap’s daughter, Aaliyah, who played a part in him bagging his maiden project.

“I had never thought I’d make my debut with Anurag sir’s film. My friend and I would make these shorts. Fortunately, one came out well and his daughter, Aaliyah, saw it. She showed it to him and he loved it and called me,” Mehta said.