Lockdown woes: I’m dying to get back to a routine, says Alaya F

Jawaani Janeman actor, Alaya F isn’t letting the Covid-19 crisis get on to her, instead, she asserts that when you can’t fight something, you have to embrace it.

Hopping from one class to another or one work-related outing to another was more like Alaya F’s daily drill before the nationwide lockdown confined her to home, where she’s spending her time playing board games, drawing, chatting with friends, watching some TV, surfing social media, indulging in some cooking, working out and sleeping.

Alaya F wants to get back to her language, acting and dance classes as soon as the lockdown gets over.

“Now, my concept of days is lost,” says the young actor, her voice still exuding the vivaciousness the audience loved her for in her maiden film Jawaani Jaaneman.

Ask her about the first thing she wants to do after the lockdown ends, pat comes the reply, “Classes!”

Alaya, who’s quite regular with her language, acting and dance classes, adds, “I’m dying to do my classes and I miss my teachers. I send them ‘Miss you and our classes’ messages (laughs). I’m dying to get back to a routine.”

She’s also looking at some new learnings, even if means baking banana bread. “I read a post which said, ‘If you don’t come out of this quarantine period with a new skill, then you don’t lack time, you lack discipline’. And I was like ‘Hawww, I need to not lack discipline and get on top of my stuff’.”

As someone who the urban youth connects to, the 22-year-old daughter of actor Pooja Bedi, has a message for all.

“For youngsters today, especially in fast-paced cities like Mumbai, there’s so much pressure, such little time to do so much and such little time that you spend with yourself. You almost lose touch with you you are. Now at a time like this, when we’re forced to spend time with ourselves... I feel people are going to come out refreshed and more grateful for all the things they took granted for prior to all of this.”

A self-confessed “workaholic”, Alaya feels this is also an unexpected period when people have got a chance to be a ”guilt-free break”. “Everyone has a moment when they want a break, a little while for life to slow down. But then when you slow down, you feel a little bit guilty that the world is continuing to run. But now, the whole world is on a break. Even if you want to do something, you can’t do it now. And when you can’t fight something, you have to embrace it and make the most of it. That’s how I am trying to look at it,” she says on a positive note.