Pandemic has changed approaches, says actor Alaya F

Mumbai: Alaya F, known for her films such as ‘Jawaani Jaaneman’ and ‘Freddy’, said the pandemic has changed the Hindi film industry as a whole and she finds it easier to adapt to it now.

Daughter of model-actor Pooja Bedi, she will next be seen in ‘U Turn’.

“The pandemic has changed the industry as a whole. It has changed approaches, people’s viewing patterns and what is being made. Luckily, this is the world that I know. This post-pandemic industry is easier for me to adapt to,” the actor told the top news agency.

The 25-year-old actor, whose debut movie ‘Jawaani Jaaneman’ came right before the pandemic in 2020, said she still considers the pandemic the biggest ‘obstacle’ in her four-year-old career.

“My biggest challenge was the pandemic right after my first release. So far, it is my biggest obstacle. My film was released and a few weeks later, the entire world stopped. What happened, even more, is that I got good reviews, it was a great time for me to capitalise on it. You work for this moment and it goes well but before you make the most of it, everything stops. Two years and 11 months after that you don’t have another release. It is not easy. The whole phase of the pandemic, I was like, ‘Is my career over?’.”

Alaya, however, is happy to be a part of the film industry at a time when it is going through a shift in the way creators and viewers approach content.

“The silver lining is that everything turned out well. In the last six months, this is my third release. It feels great,” she said.

‘U Turn’ is the official Hindi adaptation of a 2016 Kannada movie of the same name, featuring actor Shraddha Srinath.