Huma Qureshi: "It Is Not Cool To Body Shame"

Huma Qureshi is happy realising and living her childhood dream of being an actor, and wants to explore everything the industry has to offer. She talks to Shraddha Kamdar about pertinent issues, choice of roles, and the influences that shaped her.

- Shraddha Kamdar

Contrary to some of the characters she has portrayed on-screen (she jokes about how she thinks she has become an expert in dark, gritty roles), she is funny, delightful, and candid in our interview. Sitting at ease swiveling around like a playful child in her chair, her response to my lengthy list of questions is, “I love to talk, fire away!” She won three, and was nominated for 11 awards for her debut film, Gangs Of Wasseypur, which announced her arrival in Bollywood with a bang. That the film went to Cannes and also garnered global recognition, was the cherry on top of the cake. Since then, she has won critical acclaim for several character portrayals including Dedh Ishqiya, Shorts, and Badlapur, among others. She has been vocal about issues she feels strongly about, and does not shy away from speaking her mind. Apart from it all, the best answer I received during the interview—that she fought with her brother over copies of the Harry Potter books, on who will read them first. Over to our cover girl, the talented and intelligent, Huma Qureshi.

Did Tinsel Town always appeal to you? How did you come to be a part of it?

Ever since I was a little girl, I harboured the secret dream of becoming an actor. But, I never had the courage to admit it, even to myself. It wasn’t something a middle-class girl from Delhi could hope to do. I had an exploratory journey of discovering it. When I came to Mumbai, my dream was to be part of just one film.

You have not stuck to one particular genre when picking films. Is that a conscious move?