Unconventional actress: Huma Qureshi
Huma Qureshi, who will be romancing Mammootty in White, says she found Malayalam a tougher language to master than French and Spanish.
Over the years, the role of a female protagonist has undergone a sea change evolving from being just an arm candy of the hero to playing central characters that take the story forward. Bollywood actor Huma Qureshi may not have a long list of films to her credit but the roles she has done stand apart in their variety. Right from her very first Bollywood film — Gangs of Wasseypur- Part 1, her USP has been to veer away from the mundane and be a part of edgy, unconventional films.
She was a part of Bollywood films like Badlapur, D Day, Ek Thi Daayan and Gangs of Wasseypur - Part2, which fetched her rave reviews and awards. She stepped into regional films with the Marathi road drama Highway and is now opening her innings in Mollywood through the Mammootty-starrer White directed by Uday Ananthan. The actress was in Kochi in connection with the promotions of her film.
Huma is frank and forthright. Sitting back, she speaks about the reasons for accepting the film in which her character Roshni is seen romancing an elderly billionaire played by Mammootty. She says, “The great script, the chance to act with Mammootty sir and destiny compelled me to sign the film. There is a very beautiful love story of a younger woman romancing an elder man and I would have been a fool to let go of this film.” The film was largely shot in London and the language proved to be the toughest barrier for Huma.
She exclaims, “Malayalam is a very beautiful language, culturally very rich and layered but very difficult to pronounce. At first I thought I could pick it up easily because I learnt French and Spanish very fast but I just could not get the hang of the language. Probably if I had more time, I may have learnt a fair bit but in the end I had to resort to learning it phonetically and had help from a translator.”
About Mammootty, she terms him a legendary actor who was fun to work with. She recalls having a blast in London whilst shooting for the film. She reveals, “I thought he would be very strict and boring but he was so chilled. He really blended with all of us cracking jokes and it was a treat!” Unconventional could be Huma’s middle name and she explains that she seeks roles that are different.
“I don't want people to say that Huma is wearing the same clothes, the same hairstyle and doing the same roles. I took up this profession to challenge myself and be someone different in every single film. I want a library full of work that I can be proud of; I want to be experimental and live a life where I have acquired skills,” she states. There have been comparisons to late actress Smita Patil but she brushes that aside mentioning that she would like to be just plain Huma Qureshi.
Theatre was an important part of the years she spent in Delhi where she was born, but moving to Mumbai to pursue her tinsel town dreams demanded that she sacrifice theatre completely. She says, “Theatre took a backseat when I moved to Mumbai to become an actress. I had the option of either pursuing theatre which I loved or doing films and I chose films at that point of time.”
Theatre, she says is a very demanding craft that takes a lot of her time and time is a luxury she does not have. She adds, “I run a house in Mumbai and my parents live in Delhi. As a working girl, I cannot run a house, do theatre and act in films so I had to choose running my house and films!” Huma is not in a hurry to accept every role but would like to pick and choose the films. She states, “I don't want to be Number 1 nor does the rat race interest me! I want to just do my work and be known as a good actress!”
Huma's thirst for adventure extends to her personal life too. She divulges, “My only pact with myself is that I have to learn something new every year.” A daring overnight climb of Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia was the result of the smirks she saw in the faces of her brother's friends who greeted her decision of climbing the highest peak in South East Asia with total nonchalance.
She adds, “If they thought this is something I could not do, then that is something I definitely want to do! I don't want to be boxed by someone’s ideas and if I want to be a climber, I will be.” So off went Huma, to conquer the mountain and she staunchly says that the climb was a life changer which taught her a lot of things about endurance, will, the ability to push harder and not give up. Before ending she states that she is open to working in more Malayalam films.