'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.'

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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.

“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.