India’s pop culture holy trinity—Bollywood, cricket, and music—has long shaped the nation’s identity. As a singer, our cover star is redefining the pop music scene with her idiosyncratic songs and tale-telling music videos. In this candid conversation with Dhvani Bhanushali, we go beyond the stage to delve into the making of a pop star and the singer's personal journey. From cardio singing and her backup plans to dream collaborations, the artist behind the chart-topping single, Vaaste reveals it all. Many years have passed since her breakthrough, and she remains on an evolving quest to find herself and her sound. But one thing is for sure, she keeps doing a damn good job.
For the longest time, he was that guy you've seen somewhere but you can't place where. Now, he is Taha Shah Badussha, talented actor whose stellar performance as Tajdar in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi has made him suddenly ubiquitous (for all the right reasons). After 15 long years, the hidden gem got the break of his career, and yet the same zest continues to drive him today. Read along as our hot (pun intended) cover star shares what he looks for in his ideal partner, his fun interaction at Cannes Film Festival, and all he does to keep growing - over an energetic cover shoot with Aza.
There’s much more to this “star kid” than her famous lineage. She is unafraid, self-assured and determined to chart her own course in the world of fashion. When Prime Video released its content lineup, the preview of her upcoming show, The Tribe, had everyone talking. While the show offers a glimpse into the life of Alaviaa Jaaferi, the influencer with a mission, we’re taking you inside the life of Alaviaa Jaaferi, the entrepreneur and daughter of Bollywood’s comedy legend, Jaaved Jaaferi (and it’s not what you’d expect). Join us as our muse divulges details about her upbringing, her fashion brand, her unique beauty tips and more in an exclusive conversation with Aza.
A big scoop of hard work, a generous pinch of likable authenticity, and a sprinkle of good luck have created the phenomenon that is Jasmine Bhasin. Rising from the ranks to become the darling of Punjabi cinema today, our muse embarked on her journey to independence at a very young age, when she left her hometown of Kota to pursue a career in hospitality. She was discovered at her very first front desk job – crafting a perfect narrative of serendipity. Since then, she has consistently won hearts, emerging as the people's choice. In an intimate conversation with Aza, Jasmine delves into the details of her journey, recounts her most memorable fan encounter, shares insights into future plans, and much more.
Our cover star does not aspire to fit into anyone else's mold. From beginning her acting career with the supernatural horror film 1920 to starring in the female-centric, hard-hitting political drama The Kerala Story, Adah is known for making bold choices and writing her own rules. Her diverse filmography and the multitude of coveted awards she has been nominated for and won undoubtedly showcase her brilliance as an actor, but she also possesses a multitude of other skills not many know of. Read along as we get up close and personal with Adah Sharma in a candid interview where she talks about her many talents, the secret to her lustrous locks, and more.
From winning Bigg Boss 15 to winning hearts with her versatile performances, she has proven to be a force to reckon with. While the beauty's success continues to skyrocket, her feet are planted firmly on the ground. A paragon of authenticity, Tejasswi Prakash is adored by her massive fanbase, with whom she maintains strong engagement on social media. And the fans cannot seem to get enough! Read along as the actor talks about her childhood, the moment she realized the impact of TejRan, her dream wedding and more in a candid tête-à-tête with Aza.
She was fondly known as the 'Kanche Girl' among her Telugu fans following her impressive debut performance in the national award-winning film. Now, she's recognized as the 'Akhanda Girl' after her latest blockbuster. Such is the impact and screen presence of Pragya Jaiswal! The South sensation has consistently proven herself to be a winner - an A+ student, a successful model, and now of course, a brilliant actor. Yes, she does have a golden touch. But if there's one thing we can attest to after our shoot with her, it's that she works diligently and gives her 100% to everything. Pragya elaborates further on her achievements, and opens up about working with Salman Khan, her friendship with Rakulpreet Singh and her spiritual inclinations in a tête-à-tête with Aza.
Her successful career began at the tender age of 8 in ‘ Shaka Laka Boom Boom’, and continued with a string of achievements that propelled her to stardom in Tamil and Telugu cinema. A social media sweetheart with fans worldwide, she’s adored for being genuine and relatable (that’s 5.9 million+ Instagram followers and counting!) Just over 6 months after her regal wedding to entrepreneur Sohael Khaturiya, we sit down with ‘The New Bride’. In an intimate conversation with Aza, Hansika Motwani spills the beans on her wedding reality show titled Hansika’s Love Shaadi Drama, her latest projects and the recreational pursuits that help her find calm amidst the chaos.
Multi-hyphenate Diipa Büller-Khosla leverages her “influence” – she has 1.9 million followers on Instagram – to support gender parity and strip down stigmas. With her conscious beauty brand indē wild, the self-made global star has been empowering women to be confident in their own skin. When she’s not jet-setting around the world on her business tours, red carpet appearances and brand collaborations, Diipa strives to enhance South Asian representation on the global stage. For this one-of-a-kind Cover Story on The Empowered Woman, our muse dons showstopping styles from six leading women designers at Aza. Find out how the fashion and beauty icon inserts the power in “empowerment”.
If her massive fanbase is anything to go by – 45.6 million followers on Instagram, 3.64 million subscribers on YouTube, 1.9 million fans on Facebook and 96.3K on Twitter (the last two social media platforms she doesn’t even keep updated!) – Jannat Zubair is a national heartthrob. The actor, who started her career at six, is driven to the core and refuses to get distracted by anything at all. During a candid tête-à-tête with Aza, the digital influencer shares about her journey from Kashi to Khatron Ke Khiladi, her process for digital content creation, and more.
While Palak Tiwari aspires to be as intuitive an actor as her star mom Shweta Tiwari, in reverence to the TV icon, the 22-year-old won’t venture into television. A year since Harrdy Sandhu’s Bijlee Bijlee went viral (as of November 2022, it has 451 million views on YouTube) and inspired celebs globally to attempt the song’s hook step, Palak has amassed over 3 million followers on Instagram. The young actor is now all set to share screenspace with Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt in her forthcoming projects. In conversation with Aza, Palak opens up on her Insta success, foray into films, and “that birthday post” from Salman Khan.
She’s a talented actor, a successful director, an award-winning philanthropist, and a highly-followed fashion icon. She’s the co-owner of the Tennis Premier League team Delhi Binny’s Brigade. She’s upholding the legacy of the T-Series empire as Bhushan Kumar’s better half. And Divya Khosla Kumar is also a doting mother to 11-year-old Ruhaan. Close on the heels of the announcement of Yaariyan 2 – the sequel to her superhit directorial debut – Divya invited Aza into her abode to shoot our October Cover Story. Here’s a glimpse into the life of the wonder woman that she is.
Since age 8, Avneet Kaur has been a constant on television. She whirled into our screens in 2010 with the reality TV show Dance India Dance (DID) Li'l Masters before participating in Dance Ke Superstars and Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa (as Darsheel Safary's partner). What followed was a remarkable career as a TV actor with major roles in popular shows. While Avneet made her debut in cinema with Rani Mukerji’s Mardaani, she became a household name with her portrayal of Princess Yasmine in Aladdin - Naam Toh Suna Hoga. Today, the digital sensation has 32.6 million followers on Instagram, over 21 lakh on Facebook and 1.69 million subscribers on YouTube. Aza catches up with the actor and dancer ahead of her debut as a Bollywood lead with Kangana Ranaut's Tiku Weds Sheru.
It’s the first Aza Man Cover Story and our muse for the Dapper Edit 2022 is Ali Fazal – Hollywood’s flavor du jour and Mirzapur’s Guddu bhaiyya! In a candid conversation with Aza, the Fukrey actor spills the beans on finally locking a date to marry long-time sweetheart, actress Richa Chadha (and the wedding is likely to happen this year!). Ali also opens up on his journey from Joy Lobo ( 3 Idiots) to Cousin Andrew ( Death on the Nile), his love for Shakespearean dramas, upcoming projects and a lot more.
As an actress, Mithila Palkar – a two-time Filmfare award winner – has dabbled in everything from theatre to Hindi, Marathi and Telugu cinema as well as short films. But she’s best remembered for her viral Marathi rendition of Anna Kendrick's Cup Song in 2016 which unexpectedly broke the internet, and as of May 2022 has a whopping 7 million views on YouTube! Mithila, who not just witnessed but majorly contributed to the OTT revolution in India with, speaks to Aza on her journey in cinema, the special bond she shares with Prajakta Koli, Dhruv Sehgal and Abhay Deol, and why Little Things will always be close to her heart.
YouTube royalty, Prajakta Koli aka MostlySane has already bagged a Daytime Emmy Award and been recognized in the highly coveted Forbes 30 under 30 list, Entrepreneur India’s 35 under 35, BW Businessworld’s Most Influential Women list, and Outlook’s Women of Worth list, amongst many others. In conversation with Aza, the global content creator, social media influencer, vlogger, actor and UNDP youth climate champion talks about driving sustainable change in society, her foray into cinema, and impending journey into space!
Damini ( Four More Shots Please!), Rohini ( Inside Edge)… Sayani by any other name, in any role would still captivate you as an actor. The multi-talented FTII grad – she’s trained in Bharatnatyam, Contemporary, Chhau and Kalaripayattu – has consistently made her presence felt in cinema with Margarita with a Straw (2014), Parched (2016), Fan (2016), Article 15 (2019), Posham Pa (2019) and Pagglait (2021). As Aza’s muse for The Contemporary Bride, the performing artist opens up on her upbringing in the creative space, love for the fine arts, cinema and more.
Meet the actress who voluntarily utilized her time to serve as a frontline warrior during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in India. Over eight years since her debut with Issaq, an adaptation of Romeo & Juliet, Amyra Dastur has effortlessly worked in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and English cinema as well as across OTT platforms. Besides Saif Ali Khan, Dhanush and Prabhudeva, she has shared screenspace with the legendary Jackie Chan. But there’s more to Amyra than meets the eye – she’s also an ardent animal rights crusader, child education champion and body positivity influencer. Aza celebrates Amyra in uber-luxe couture as the fearless and fabulous bride for 2022.
In a span of eight short years, actor-singer Raashii Khanna has worked in four of India’s biggest film industries – Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam – and with three National Award-winning directors. After sharing screen space with John Abraham, Prithviraj, Gopichand, Vijay Sethupathi, Mohanlal, Vishal and Vijay Deverakonda, she’s all set to make her digital debut in a Hindi web series opposite Shahid Kapoor. Also in the pipeline is Ajay Devgn’s maiden web outing, Rudra: The Edge of Darkness. As Aza celebrates “New Beginnings” in a free-spirited bridal shoot, Raashii shares about her journey into cinema, passion for music, respect for Indian languages and more.
From her days as a struggling actor fresh out of the FTII, Rasika Dugal has successfully traversed the often attempted but seldom accomplished journey to becoming OTT royalty. As of today, she has worked in internationally acclaimed feature films, short films, web series, TV shows, podcasts and theatre. Embracing the festive spirit in Aza's choicest anarkalis, sarees and lehengas, the Mirzapur actress talks about her fascination with the process of filmmaking, obsession with detailing, affection towards mentor Naseeruddin Shah, love for Urdu literature and more.
“Self-made” – it’s not an identifier we can attribute to many from the world of Indian cinema. But Sanya Malhotra has wrestled her way to prominence in this industry as well as on the OTT platform without the familiar or familial pillars supporting her. Five years since, she has worked with Aamir Khan, Neena Gupta, Gajraj Rao, Vidya Balan, and Nawazzuddin Siddiqui. And soon, the young actress will share screen-space with Shah Rukh Khan in South filmmaker Atlee's upcoming venture. As she breezes through six curated looks for AZA in one of her self-admittedly “fastest shoots ever,” Sanya confides in us about her solo movie dates, the surprise birthday message from Daniel Radcliffe, her visions of becoming “that bride in sneakers”, her collaboration with PeTA and more.
Not even 10 movies old, Malavika Mohanan has already had Rajinikanth and Thalapathy Vijay as her co-stars in the South. With her Bollywood debut coming up and a movie opposite Dhanush in the pipeline, her ascent is only unceasing. Wearing the best bridesmaid-worthy looks of the season, the actor talks to us about her life in the movies and her plans for the future.
