Mom: Bollywood was never my dream, says Sajal Aly

Sajal Aly played Sridevi’s daughter in Mom. She has been praised by the critics for her work in the film.

Pakistani actor Sajal Aly, who played a rape survivor in her Bollywood debut Mom, says she had never dreamed of acting in the Indian film industry. Speaking about her role as Arya in the Sridevi-starrer, Sajal said, “It was definitely a challenging role... I mean any character you play, you have to really commit to it and kind of naturally become like that, at least that’s how I function. I think the most challenging part was performing with Sridevi ma’am. Like my very first scene in the movie is me sitting at a dining table across from her and misbehaving with her -- it was terrifying,” Dawn quoted her as saying on Wednesday.

Sajal Aly impressed everybody in Mom.

“We had to shoot in Georgia and it was freezing cold... So yeah, that was pretty tough too,” Sajal said.

Sajal said, “Bollywood was never my dream, in all honesty. I was happy working here and that was not something I was working towards but this story moved me. I always knew that if I worked in Bollywood, I have certain limitations and boundaries that I would not want to cross and this movie was about a sensitive topic, everything was handled so tastefully.”

The actor is all praise for her co-star Sridevi, who plays her mother in the movie. “She’s just the sweetest person. Even now, she keeps calling me and reminding me that I’m in her thoughts.”