Meet her in person and you would not find a trace of the ´lusciousness´ that this blossoming model portrays in her photographs---already showing signs of becoming a good model.

Ask her about the opposite sex, "Boys", she exclaims. "I have never had a boyfriend. Wherever we go it is always all-girls´ party for us. And we have a lot of fun. Guys.. eeks!" But prod a little bit and she lets the cat out of the bag, "I have a crush on Arjun Ramphal. I like good looking men."

The petite and shy young beauty values family ties and is passionate about close relationships. (hey guys, isn´t she a good wifely material?). Except, at the moment her heart is into acting. And wait till you hear this. She had an offer to join a well known airline as a flight stewardess, but rejected it, "I want to concentrate on being an actress and a model. And do not want to waver from my goal." Hence, guys will really have to woo her hard to get her to change her mind. And you just might have a slim chance of succeeding because she likes to be wooed!

Meanwhile, want to know her better? Well, Aliya´s interest in acting developed when she began winning best actress awards in school and college for her stage performances. The accolades that she received not just increased her confidence but also whetted her ambition to become an actress. Given a chance she would like to do meaningful roles in films --- the kinds that are played by Nandita Das and Tabu. Though she admits "I can´t be compared with these two brilliant actresses. I have to improve a lot."

A Nepalese muslim, Aliya was born in Nepal, but spent her childhood in Darjeeling. She comes from a devout Muslim family. Her father was a district minister. Presently he is chairman of the haj committee in Nepal. Her mother is a director of a drugs rehabilitation organisation in Nepal. Her sister, who is younger, is an aspiring doctor and is currently pursuing her education (MBBS) in Bangladesh. And the youngest sibling in the family, her brother is in school in Darjeeling.

Scattered all over the Indian sub-continent, yet the family remains close-knit. How did the parents feel about her decision to come to Mumbai to join films. "They were shocked first. Especially my mother. But now they have accepted it." Aliya is fluent in Nepali, Hindi and English and can speak a smattering of Urdu. Mumbai is a new place for her. (She has been in the city for less than a year). She lives here with her best friend whom she absolutely adores. So, you have to impress her friend (who is a girl) to win her over. She is young and life has quite a lot to offer to this budding model and actress. But taking one step at a time, she is confident of attaining her goal.