‘Alaya Wants None Of The Nepotism’

‘Alaya
has
kept
her
career
disconnected
from
me
in
every
way.’
‘She
wanted
to
achieve
success
by
herself
without
any
help
or
interference.’

Pooja
Bedi
is
a
starkly
different
mother
to
her
actress-influencer
daughter
Alaya
F.

Unlike
other
star
mothers
in
filmdom,
she
neither
demands
mosambi
juice
on
the
sets
nor
is
she
ruthlessly
ambitious
for
her
daughter.

Pooja’s
life
is
not
an
extension
of
her
daughter’s.

Pooja
talks
about
finding
the
sweet
spot:
The
balance
where
she
can
be
a
loving
mom
and
let
her
daughter
develop
wings
and
fly.

She
tells


Rediff
Senior
Contributor

Dinesh
Raheja,
“Parenting
isn’t
about
control.
It’s
about
empowering
your
child
to
live
their
fullest
life,
and
if
staying
separately
is
what
she
seeks
for
personal
growth,
I
fully
support
it.”

From
being
a
star
to
a
star
mother,
what
is
your
take
on
this
shifting
dynamic?

I’ve
played
all
three
roles:
Star
kid,
star
and
now
star
mom.

I
remember
my
mom
(danseuse
Protima
Bedi)
telling
me
how
people
would
whisper
‘Pooja
Bedi’s
mom’
as
she
walked
by,
and
how
proud
it
made
her
feel.
I
know
now
what
she
meant
as
the
same
happens
to
me.

It’s
so
utterly
exciting
that
my
child
has
made
a
wonderful
and
positive
mark
on
people.
They
come
up
to
me
in
droves
excitedly
talking
about
her
talent,
her
grounded
nature
and
her
incredible
fitness
videos
on
Instagram.

Who
attracts
more
attention
when
you
two
go
out
together
today?

We
get
recognised
equally
but
I
only
get
paparazzied
when
I’m
with
her
at
restaurants
or
the
airport.
It’s
obviously
the
younger
generation
that
attracts
more
media
eyeballs.

You
give
your
star
daughter
a
high
degree
of
independence.
Since
when
did
Alaya
live
separately?

Alaya
is
an
ultra
loving,
caring
and
family
oriented
girl,
but
she
loves
her
space
and
independence.
She
moved
out
three
years
ago
at
the
age
of
24.

Parenting
isn’t
about
control,
it’s
about
empowering
your
child
to
live
their
fullest
life.
If
staying
separately
is
what
she
seeks
for
personal
growth,
I
support
it.

My
doors
are
always
open,
and
so
are
hers.
Home
is
where
the
heart
is.

You
pointedly
distance
yourself
from
Alaya’s
career.
Does
it
come
easily
or
do
you
have
to
force
yourself
not
to
butt
into
Alaya’s
professional
life?

It’s
not
me,
Alaya
has
kept
her
career
disconnected
from
me
in
every
way.

She
wanted
to
achieve
success
by
herself
without
any
help
or
interference.

I
have
never
been
invited
to
her
sets,
or
advertising
shoots
or
professional
events.
I
only
see
her
full
movie
at
premiere
time.

She’s
highly
focussed,
uber
disciplined,
obsessive
about
her
routines
and
wants
none
of
the
nepotism
angle.
She’s
a
self-made
girl.

Did
you
ever
bring
Alaya
to
work?

I
have
always
involved
my
kids
in
my
career.

I
used
to
bring
them
to
the
sets
of
my
talk
show,
my
dance
show,

Bigg
Boss,
and
even
flew
them
to
South
Africa
for
the
finale
of

Fear
Factor.

Are
you
mirroring
how
your
mother
Protima
Bedi
related
to
your
life
and
career?

Yes,
in
a
sense,
my
mom
and
I
had
a
similar
relationship
to
what
I
share
with
Alaya
—
very
loving,
very
supportive,
very
close,
yet
our
professional
journeys
were
our
own.

My
mom
immersed
herself
in
creating
her
dream
Nrityagram
and
I
am
doing
the
same
with
my
dream,
Happy
Soul,
my
holistic
health
and
wellness
venture.

How
would
you
describe
your
relationship
with
Alaya
today?

I
love
being
a
mom.
We
go
for
workouts
together,
dinner
dates,
and
we
spoil
each
other.

I
will
literally
fly
with
her
for
one
day
to
Goa
to
go
kayaking
and
stand-up
paddle
boarding.

There
are
nights
when
we
just
chill
and
chat
and
chat
some
more.

She
calls
me
‘Yapper
Mom’.
And
she’s
a
very
generous,
highly
protective
and
loving
sister
to
Omar.

Just
last
week,
she
hugged
me
and
said
I
was
so
much
fun
to
be
with
…
little
moments
like
that
make
my
heart
sing.

Do
her
father
Farhan
and
you
interact
regularly
about
the
children
after
the
divorce
or
is
it
awkward?

I
share
a
wonderful
rapport
with
Farhan,
his
wife
Laila
and
their
son
Zaan.
We
are
family.

We
meet,
dine
together,
party
together
and
share
immense
goodwill
for
each
other.

The
interest
of
our
kids
is
top
of
the
charts
for
us.
It’s
the
best
outcome
of
a
divorce
as
kids
don’t
get
scarred
or
feel
incomplete.

How
does
Alaya
relate
to
your

fiancé
Maneck
Contractor?

My
kids
adore
Maneck.
They
were
thrilled
that
we
got
engaged
but
feel
terrible
for
him
as
they
think
I’m
more
than
just
a
handful
to
deal
with.

I’m
super-high
energy,
have
a
million
dreams
and
am
strong
and
no-nonsense
but
funny
and
goofy
too.

I
admit
I
can
be
overwhelming.

You
were
an
unabashed
rebel.
Alaya’s
much
more
strait-laced.
How
did
that
happen?

I
think
every
generation
from
my
mom
to
me
to
Alaya
has
got
many
degrees
calmer,
that
journey
is
apparent.

Will
there
ever
be
a
collaboration
between
the
two
of
you?

Recently,
Alaya
and
I
did
an
episode
on
Farah
Khan’s
cookery
show,
and
it
was
such
fun.

Last
year,
on
Mother’s
Day,
she
did
a
take
on

Pehla
Nasha
(Pooja’s
song
from
Jo
Jeeta
Wohi
Sikandar)
for
her
social
media
reels
and
made
me
feature
in
it
too.

Every
such
moment
creates
unimaginably
happy
earthquakes
in
my
heart
chambers.

What
is
your
advice
to
her
on
her
love
life?

My
kids
have
learnt
by
looking
at
me
navigate
my
relationships
that
it’s
the
journey
that’s
important,
not
goal
posts.

It’s
important
to
let
go
gracefully
if
things
aren’t
working
out;
gratitude
and
respect
are
key
elements
in
a
break-up.

They’ve
seen
me
stay
good
friends
with
all
my
exes.
Actions
speak
louder
than
words.
I
think
it’s
important
for
a
parent
to
lead
by
example
and
not
just
be
a

gyaan
giver.

Do
you
ever
find
yourself
pestering
her
to
find
the
right
guy?

I
can’t
wait
to
meet
the
lucky
man
who
will
one
day
enter
her
life
and
sweep
her
off
her
grounded
feet.

I
still
can’t
believe
she
is
now
as
old
as
I
was
when
I
gave
birth
to
her.