In Her Own Right
Verve|Verve Palladium Supplement March 2017

She continues to push limits with her choice of challenging roles in off-beat films, even as she sees commercial success in the blockbusters that she stars in. Huma Qureshi, in conversation with Zaral Shah, shares memories about her childhood, her tryst with celluloid…and what sets her apart.

In Her Own Right

“TWO PERFORMANCES THAT ARE VERY CLOSE TO MY HEART ARE Gangs Of Wasseypur (GOW) and Badlapur. GOW was my first film and continues to remain extremely special for me. I love Badlapur for it gave me such a difficult performance. When I was offered the film, I didn’t think I had it in me to do a role like that, but I went with Sriram’s (Raghavan, the director) conviction. He is someone I really respect as a film-maker.”

“I DON’T WANT TO SIGN ON JUST ANYTHING THAT COMES MY WAY. I’m not someone who thinks it necessary to be everywhere. I want to work only with people I like working with, and work on a set that I’m happy on. And one cannot deny that roles today are changing. More evolved and nuanced parts are being written for women. I don’t think any actress would now do a half-baked part.”

“DURING MY CHILDHOOD, I KNEW WHAT I DIDN’T WANT TO DO. Acting was never a part of the plan, but I was always sure that I didn’t want to do something boring. At that time, my life was a process of elimination. As I kept striking out what I didn’t want to do, I eventually decided to become an actor. I landed in Mumbai only because of what got struck off the list.”

This story is from the Verve Palladium Supplement March 2017 edition of Verve.

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This story is from the Verve Palladium Supplement March 2017 edition of Verve.

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