Huma Qureshi On Her Tendency To 'Rebel': I've Decided to Look Over Personal Insecurities | Exclusive

Huma Qureshi is currently basking in the success of her terrific performance in Tarla, a biopic on late chef Tarla Dalal which premiered on Zee5 last month. In the recent past, the actor has been part of several impressive projects including the Hollywood film Army Of The Dead, Tamil action thriller Valimai, Maharani-2, and Monica O My Darling, and all of them have earned her critical acclaim.

Talking about the current phase, Qureshi in an interview with News18 Showsha says, “As an actor, I am in a state of flow where my choices are surely working for me. I am just trying to do my job with as much honesty as possible. All the filmmakers who are showing confidence in me are all because they see me playing a certain character. Often at times, as an actor, it happens that we are caught up in our heads due to various reasons including personal insecurities, the way we look, or our age. But I have decided to look over these things. To avoid being bored with their job, variety is something that every actor aspires to these days. That is what I’m attempting to achieve.”

She adds, “The idea is not to get stereotyped. I’ve worked on a wide range of projects, including independent, big-budget, multinational, pan-Indian, series, and short films. I doubt that I have restrained myself in any way. Maybe that’s where my tendency to rebel comes from.”

The actor says that she always tried to pick up films and characters that are completely distinct from one another. “For example, Tarla is not the same girl from Double XL, Rani Bharti won’t sound or look like Tarla and Pooja Meri Jaan’s (her upcoming film) character has nothing in connection with that of Double XL. I want to surprise myself as well as the audience each time. I’m just enjoying myself and not giving anything else any thought.”

Qureshi, who recently celebrated her 37th birthday, has often voiced her opinion on body positivity. The actor says that subconsciously she tries to push that envelope through her characters also, “Maharani or Tarla were completely de-glamourised roles or Double XL spoke about women who face body shaming. The credit also goes to the kind of storytelling that is happening today. People are coming together to tell such incredible stories. It allows us to reimagine what women are capable of. For example, women who looked like Tarla Dalal weren’t supposed to be in front of the camera. She is just another neighbourhood aunty or woman but why can’t they be our heroes? I want to shatter these stereotypes.”

The Gangs Of Wasseypur actor completed a decade in the industry last year but she feels that she has just begun, “I feel like I’m just getting started. If somebody had told me 10 years ago that I’d have done the things that I have and would be doing all that I am doing right now in my tenth year, I wouldn’t have believed it. I am just enjoying this phase and hope the audiences keep showing their faith in me.”