HUMA QURESHI AND SAQIB SALEEM ON BUILDING A BOLD PRODUCTION HOUSE

For over a decade, Huma Qureshi has charmed audiences with her versatile acting, whether as the fierce queen in Maharani or as a strong voice in independent cinema. Today, she is also shaping Indian cinema from behind the camera. Along with her brother Saqib Saleem, she has launched Saleem Siblings, a production house with a vision to tell bold, relevant, and entertaining stories.

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Huma has also been part of Bayaan - an independent film in which she features as an actor and serves as an executive producer. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and traveled to Busan. Separately, under their Saleem Siblings banner, Baby Do Die Do is the first official film that Huma and Saqib have co-produced together. Both siblings are equally invested in the company’s direction and output.

Huma describes her decision to step behind the camera as a natural extension of her creative instincts: “With Bayaan, I came on board as an executive producer because I felt it was a story that had to be told. It wasn’t a ‘safe’ film, but that’s exactly why it was important to support it. Films like these take India to a global level, and seeing Bayaan travel from Toronto to Busan has only strengthened my belief that we must nurture such voices. At the same time, Baby Do Die Do is very close to my heart because it’s the first official project from our production house Saleem Siblings, and I'm also acting in it. What makes it even more special is that it’s centered on a female assassin, a story space that has never really been explored in Indian cinema before. I’ve always believed that if the story you want to tell isn’t being written by someone else, you should go ahead and write it yourself, and that’s exactly what we have done here.”

Her words underline a dual commitment: supporting new voices while also creating roles that challenge industry norms.