I would love to work in Bollywood again, there’s a sense of belonging I feel: Sajal Aly

Actor Sajal Aly, who is winning hearts with her performance in Nadeem Baig’s Kuch Ankahi currently, reveals that she misses working in Bollywood. The 29-year-old actor, who worked with the late actor Sridevi in the 2017 film Mom, wants to work in Bollywood once again and wonders when political boundaries will stop meddling with art – especially between India and Pakistan.

While Aly did not work in Bollywood after her debut film Mom, she managed to find a way to continue her relationship with India by working with the Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and actor Shabana Azmi on her first international film, What’s Love Got to Do with It?. The romantic comedy starring Lily James and Emma Thompson puts the spotlight on cross-cultural conflicts through the concept of arranged marriage in the age of Tinder.

Speaking about working with artists from across the border yet again, Aly told Hindustan Times that it all felt like home. “It was a dream come true moment for me. Unmein ek apnaniyat hai, jismein bahut sukon hai (they have this familiarity, a feeling of belonging that is very calming),” she said.

The Sinf-e-Aahan actor further added that she is eager to work in India and has been saying that for a while now. “I would love to work in India again. But I don’t know when. Let’s see what the future has in store for me. I have been talking about this for years and years. I don’t think politics should come between art and the artist. And I hope this wall, this boundary between Pakistan and India rips off soon,” she exclaimed.

For Aly, Bollywood memories are directly linked to her working with Sridevi on the thriller film Mom. She revealed that, just like the film’s title, the late actor was nothing short of a mother to her and that they shared a very close emotional bond.

“I was very close to Sridevi ji. She left us very soon, unfortunately. I have never really talked about her and my relationship. But I have to say that it is really unfortunate that we, as artists, get stuck in the tensions between both countries,” she lamented.

“Humara kaam suffer karta hai (Our work suffers the most.) When I worked in Bollywood, I got a lot of love and respect, which is close to my heart to date,” Aly added saying that she even has a close bond with Sridevi’s daughter, actor Janhvi Kapoor.

Remembering Sridevi and the memories she made with her, Aly shared that she wishes she has a home in India because Mr India actor made her feel like family. “I feel that I should have a house in India because she was so close to me. She was like my mother. It was not just a work relationship that we had. It was something more than that,” she said.

Aly also revealed that her late mother Rahat had also left her Mom co-star. “She met my mother when she came to India while I was shooting for Mom. Before the release of the film, my mother left us and then after a few months, Sridevi ji really left us. It was a very emotional bond, We used to talk on the phone for hours, and she used to guide me just like her daughter, she said.

“I really miss her,” Aly concluded.

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