Huma Qureshi: ‘Deepa Mehta made me believe I can be in every frame’

Huma Qureshi has said that Deepa Mehta was the person who made her believe that she will not “bore the audience”. Huma worked with Deepa on the Netflix show, Leila, in which she essayed the titular role. (Also read: Farah Khan shares video of Huma Qureshi, Aditi Rao Hydari breaking plates at restaurant)

Deepa directed the first two episodes of Leila. Urmi Juvekar adapted the 2017 novel by Prayaag Akbar for the six-part show. It traced the story of a mother’s search for her child, set against a dystopian backdrop.

Speaking with ETimes, Huma said, “After I worked with Deepa Mehta on the show Leila, my perspective changed in a big way. It was such a turning point. Khoon chakh liya maine (I tasted blood). The joy of leading a project is scary and empowering in the same breath. And she gave me that. Deepa made me believe that I can carry an entire show and be in every frame without boring the audience. She made me believe that I had it in me. When an opportunity presents itself, you rise to the occasion.” She also said that the show opened doors for her to work with Hollywood bigwigs like Zack Snyder. Huma made her Hollywood debut with Zack in Army of the Dead in 2021.

Adding that she got several good projects in which she played the lead, after Leila, Huma said, “This is Huma Qureshi 2.0. I want to call it that without sounding vain about it. I am not the same person I was back in the day. I am trying to do things differently. As an actor, the more fearless you get, the more this industry and the audience rewards you.”

Huma Qureshi has recently completed the shooting of Tarla. Directed by debutant Piyush Gupta, it is a biopic on the popular food writer and chef Tarla Dalal. Tarla is widely known for hosting popular cookery TV shows The Tarla Dalal Show and Cook It Up With Tarla Dalal. She also wrote several cookbooks and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2007. She died at the age of 77, in 2013. Tarla is produced by Ronnie Screwvala, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, and Nitesh Tiwari.

Huma also has Double XL in the pipeline that stars Sonakshi Sinha as well. She is also working on Vasan Bala’s Netflix film Monica O My Darling and the second season of her SonyLIV series, Maharani.