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Being Huma

Wellbegun is halfdone Though we move only into the sixth month of the year Huma Qureshi has every reason to smile and preen
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Huma Qureshi
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Nonika Singh

Well-begun is half-done? Though we move only into the sixth month of the year, Huma Qureshi has every reason to smile and preen. Having scored on box-office with Jolly LLB2, having made a splash in international arena with Gurinder Chadha’s Viceroy’s House and now all set for a horror film Dobaara: See Your Evil, success tastes sweet.

She is not the one to sugarcoat her assertions. The beauty with brains pre-empts most questions. As Dobaara opens today and before you can pop the query as to why horror is one of the most underdeveloped genres in India, she wonders, “Horror works so well with audiences when Hollywood comes knocking. Yet our own Bollywood horror films are never up to the mark.” But Dobaara, she promises, is horror of a different kind, one that breaks the mould.

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Sibling revelry

The film sees her share screen space with her brother Saqib Saleem. On sibling bonding, she says, “We were not conscious of each other, as we both are uninhibited actors. Besides, like any other sister brother, there were moments when we would get on each other’s nerves and then points where we truly gelled.” Horror film, as a genre, may not be her favourite, but as someone who loves films, she finds it an integral part of cinematic language. Subjects of her films, anyway, have her all charged up. Partition, the theme of Viceroy’s House she can only relate to rather well for, “which Indian can’t?”

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Film front

When the conversation moves towards her director Gurinder Chadha, she exults, “Oh she is thorough, passionate and really knows what she wants in a film. Of course, being a British Punjabi the film was a challenge for her too.” The film “political but also a very human story” has already opened in UK and Huma is heartened by the response. She is equally surprised by how most Britishers don’t know what havoc the policies of their predecessors created in the subcontinent. “The manmade tragedy, which forced millions to flee from their homes, certainly finds both relevance and resonance in today’s time.”

Certainly, she has all the right reasons for signing Chadha’s film. But, what made her say yes to Jolly LLB 2, which by all means was an Akshay Kumar film. She quips, “I don’t want to be a hero in every film.” She elaborates further, “See, not all films can centre around you. But let’s remember that my character in Jolly LLB 2 is not a sketch, but a well fleshed out part with many shades.” Indeed, Indian heroine has come of age in Bollywood, yet at the same time she asserts, “She has a long way to go.”

Simple persona

Huma, however, seems to be going places. The grapevine has been abuzz with how she is romantically paired opposite southern deimgod Rajinikanth in Kaala. She admits, “It would be a privilege to work with him.” But for an occasional diplomatic bout of silence, Huma loves to speak out her mind and owes her upbringing for the dare to be herself. Her mantra, however, is simple; “Don’t try to win over people, be authentic.” Any wonder, when asked if there are any moments she feels a chill down her spine while canning horror scenes, she answers point blank, “Not at all, we are actors and we know it is all make-believe.” Adding to the hypnotic spell of acting, Huma remains an actor to watch out for onscreen and delight to tune into, off it.


Responsibilty matters

Is Bollywood a divided house and a volatile place to be in, more than ever? Huma Quershi, however, would not like to confuse things and feels gender disparity, pay parity and insider-outsider debate are all different and complex issues. “But yes we are living in volatile times when even going to a concert is not safe.” But having said that, she agrees that actors who are being followed all the time have a responsibility and must realise that what they say and do has repercussions.  

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