Mamma Mia!

Actor, TV show host, columnist and entrepreneur Pooja Bedi and her daughter Aalia Eff make a strong case for good genes and an even stronger one for good parenting.

- Sandipan Dalal

Many would agree that Pooja Bedi was born ahead of her time. Despite being a class topper, she dropped out of high school in Los Angeles, and started working as an actor and model in Mumbai when she was 18. She modelled in a series of steamy, controversial ads for a condom brand and went on to land roles in Hindi and Telugu films. Although her mom, Odissi dancer and guru, Protima Bedi was horrified, Pooja’s decision was actually influenced by the matriarch. She says, “All you need to do is follow your heart, your passions, your dreams. I followed my instincts to choose the world of entertainment, and today I realise it was the best decision I ever made.” To pass on that joie de vivre, Pooja now runs a programme called the Happy Soul workshop. Her daughter Aalia Eff (born Aalia Furniturewala, she’s currently using her moniker), 18, too is starting a new chapter as an acting student at the New York Film Academy. Pooja is very supportive, “I had no one to guide me and help me when I entered the industry. I have spoken to her at length about every aspect of being an actor in Bollywood,” she says. For her part, Aalia has resolved to excel as an actor on her own. “I love having my independence and freedom, and luckily, I have a mother who gives it to me. But I want to make it entirely on my own.” We spoke to the mother and daughter as they came together for a Femina shoot.

What was it like being Protima Bedi’s daughter, the woman who challenged norms at every turn?