When I first interviewed Huma Qureshi four years ago, she was already a big star and, it was predicted, would rise even further. What I did not realise then, was that despite her success in mainstream (well, glamorous) roles, she would consciously-as Meryl Streep in the West, perhaps - try different kinds of parts, never repeating even the broad contours of a performance. This is hard to do in Bollywood, where roles for women are not as varied as they could be.
I was certainly not expecting to see her transform into a dumpy Gujarati lady as she does in Tarla, the new Zee5 movie on Tarla Dalal, the most influential Indian cookbook writer of the 20th century.
There another reason for my surprise. Huma comes from a celebrated family of restaurateurs, who run the respected Saleem chain of restaurants. She is not, what we Gujaratis would call, a dal-bhaatrotli-shaak kind of girl. And yet here she was, pretending to enjoy all the vegetarian food that Tarla Dalal cooked.
She says she was surprised herself by the things she had to say. "I had to try a vegetable biryani, to enjoy it and to say how delicious it was. I have been brought up to believe that biryani is always made with meat. When people compliment me on my performance, I say that if I was convincing when I appeared to enjoy the vegetable biryani, then yes, it was a good performance", she laughs.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 22, 2023 من Brunch.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 22, 2023 من Brunch.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
How To Pin Down A Scam
They pose as cops. They ask for OTPs. They lure you with bonuses. They're so smooth. Here's a cheat sheet to suss out a scam caller before it's too late
Sunny Leone
Entrepreneur, actor. @SunnyLeone
Going above and beyond
Marom specialises in nature photography. He started with macro photography, or capturing tiny subjects in extreme close-up, to make them look bigger.
Get cot in the act
Vivan Sundaram's 12 Bed Ward is sparse, simple, but haunting. Is this an abandoned hospital, a forgotten dorm, a bombed-out base or something more familiar?
In it for the long haul
Travelling gets better as you grow older. But less pressure and more funds bring with them aching bones and low energy. Here's how to cope
A whole different ball game
The kofta varies in name, taste and texture across continents. It's time India acknowledged its own contribution to the multiverse of meatballs
Opening acts
These young, new musicians are facing family pressure, juggling full-time jobs, and battling the rise of AI. They tell us what it's like to debut in 2024
Bring me the manager
Money won't conjure up a handbag that's out of stock. Angry calls will not get you off a waitlist. Don't be an entitled customer
Is there truth to this tale?
It's biopic season. It's also a good time to test what movies have learnt from true-life stories and from life itself
Mercury in the microwave
Heat wave? Wave back. On screen, summer looks gorgeous. These 10 films showcase the bright side of the season