Huma Qureshi’s next is ‘Freedom’

The actor talks about the challenges of working on OTT platforms, the benefits of travelling solo, and more

Life hasn’t been the same for Huma Qureshi after she made her debut in Anurag Kashyap’s crime drama, ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ in 2012. It brought her many awards and opened the door to many roles that were just as challenging as her debut project.

Known for her performance-oriented roles, Huma has now emerged as a crossover star with her exceptional performance in web series ‘Leila’. She has also made her international debut with Gurinder Chaddha’s ‘Viceroy’s House’ (known as Partition: 1947, in India). It was premiered at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival and screened in London. Sharing her experience of working with Gurinder, Huma tells Metrolife, “The idea of working with a female director was comforting. I had to work on getting the body language, looks and tonality right for my character since it was made from a British India perspective,” she says.

The actor has also wrapped up the shooting for Zack Synder’s ‘Army of Dead.’ What was it like to work with an overseas director? Huma says, “It’s a dream come true to work on such a vast canvas. Every director’s approach to storytelling is different and getting a peek into Zack’s style of working and understanding his perspective was a good opportunity. I did my role to the best of my ability.”

Huma has also started exploring work on OTT platforms. ‘Leila’ opened up new vistas for her. She is currently working on Dibakar Banerjee’s ‘Freedom’ which will release on Netflix. “I have always admired Dibakar’s skill as a storyteller and I have been waiting to work with him for a while now. It’s a little premature to talk about my role, but I am thoroughly enjoying the experience,” she says.

She firmly believes that OTT platforms give actors the chance to explore different subjects and try different styles of storytelling. “OTT gets you more number of eyeballs than a
theatrical film does,” she adds.

Describing herself as a clutter-breaking actor, she says that she’s glad that she has been able to do a variety of roles.

“Looking back, I think I have become more confident as an actor and ready to take more risks,” she says.

She adds that today, only good content has takers. “Whether horror, crime-thrillers, comedy, a well-made film or series will have a good audience.”

When Huma is not shooting, she is either reading — mostly autobiographies — or travelling.

“Anywhere by the beach would be my choice of destination. There are countless benefits of travelling solo. You should try it sometime,” she signs off.