Debutant actor Alfeeya Donna wants to do meaningful roles post Jihad 

After four years of festival rounds and over 45 national and international wins, actress Alfeeya Donna’s debut film Jihad is finally streaming on OTT platform Hungama Play. The Mumbai-based actor shares her future work plans with us. Excerpts.

How was it being a part of Jihad?

It has been an incredible journey, to say the least. The Cannes Film Festival (the film was screened there in 2018) was the icing on the cake and it just happened without any expectations. Now, a lot of appreciation is coming my way from friends, family and the film fraternity and it makes me more confident as an artiste.

How did the film happen?

I always wanted to do roles that are challenging. While doing my acting course in New York, I received a narration of the script from Rakesh Par maar and I found the script really intriguing. For me, the story matters the most. It’s great to act in a film that deals with a misconceived topic like jihad.

Tell us about your character.

Jihad revolves around a militant called Altaf and my character, Bhavna, is a Kashmiri Pandit whose husband was murdered on the suspicion of being a police informer. The film centres on what happens when Altaf and Bhavna’s paths cross. I had to learn the Kashmiri accent and did not wear any make-up. It was quite a learning experience working with Rakesh, who was really strict at times.

What’s happening in terms of music?

My first song, La Ilaha, was an Islamic number. It was presented by Mika Singh and post that I sang a romantic number, Do Hisse, with Pratik Gandhi. A new collaboration with Mika Singh is on the cards.

Read this: Here are five things you definitely did not know about Mika Singh

What kind of roles are you looking forward to as an actor?

I would like to do meaningful roles and I don’t want to be eye candy.

How do you keep fit?

My brother is a fitness coach and because of him, our entire family is filled with fitness freaks. I do a combination of everything since endurance, flexibility or strength training — all are important. I also do a mix of yoga and pilates; and diet, too, plays an important role in staying fit.