In the past, we have seen quite a lot of talented artists come in from abroad and set a mark in the Bollywood industry. Some of the finest examples would be Katrina Kaif, Jacqueline Fernandez, Nora Fatehi, Nargis Fakhri, Sunny Leone, Amy Jackson, Lisa Haydon and the latest addition to this list is Alfeeya Donna! Alfeeya is not just an actress but is also a successful businesswoman, a western and Indian recording artist, as well as a trained belly dancer. She was recently seen playing the role of a Kashmiri Pandit in Jihad- The Holy War, that released worldwide on 21st July 2021, on Hungama and other OTT platforms.Alfeeya, who is originally from Dubai, has earned her acting degree from the prestigious New York Film Academy, Los Angeles. Not many artists secure awards for their debut film, but Alfeeya Donna blew the charts by not winning just one but 31 Best Actress Awards both Nationally and Internationally, which got her commercial as well as critical acclaim all over the world. Jihad directed by Rakesh Parmar is a drama film based on the Terrorism issue in Kashmir. The movie showcases life in Kashmir where a zealot’s path crosses with a woman with whom he shares a common yet dark past.
When asked about the film, Alfeeya says-
The subject of this film is profound and such films are rarely made, but I am glad the audience have started appreciating such films and are wanting for more. The term ‘Jihad’ has been misinterpreted. It simply means to kill the anger and the devil within you and not to kill innocent people in the name of the almighty. As an artist, I had a lot of scopes to showcase my acting skills and all of us worked really hard on this project.It’s a challenging role that I play of a Kashmiri Pandit, named by ‘Bhawna’ belonging to a middle-class family. Unfortunately, she’s a widow and 4 months pregnant to a husband who gets shot dead by terrorists. I was completely deglamorized to get into the skin of my character, even stayed in Kashmir with the locals many days before my acting schedule started, took training for speaking in the Kashmiri accent, etc.
Jihad has been screened at more than 51 film festivals like Berlin, Toronto, Germany, New York, Africa, Los Angeles, London etc. This film was also screened at the prestigious 71st International Cannes Film Festival 2018.
Apart from being the talented actress that she is, Alfeeya is trained in both Western and Indian Classical Music, and her last release was a romantic –breakup ballad, Do Hisse published on her YT channel. She also released an Islamic Song, Laa Illaaha Illallah presented by Mika Singh. Alfeeya has quite a lot of music projects in the pipeline and will be seen collaborating with big names in the Indian Music Industry.