Be it the courageous mother in Laila, the headfast politician in Maharani, or a bold reformer in Kaala, there is always something different and fresh that Delhi-girl Huma Qureshi brings to the table. We also cannot ignore the vibrant energy that the actor gets into the room. Recently visiting town to inaugurate the Phoenix Shopping Festival 2023 at the Phoenix MarketCity, we sit down with the talented artiste for a quick tête-a-tête. Talking about her upcoming film Tarla, which is based on the late culinary icon Tarla Dalal, Huma shares how she embodied the character of a household name, how this film contributes to the discussion on women’s empowerment, her dream destination for a holiday, her fashion choices, and more.
Shifting gears to biopics
The recently released teaser for the film has generated quite the buzz on YouTube with over 300K views and comments reminiscing their experiences with the home cooking shows and recipes curated by Tarla Dalal. Huma’s role as Tarla marks her first attempt at a biopic. Talking about the preparations that went into playing Tarla she mentions, “A lot went behind the preparation for this role. I had to become another person, I had not done a biopic before, so to do the Tarla Dalal biopic felt like a lot was riding on my shoulders.”
Huma also points out the linguistic and cultural differences between the character and herself and highlights the effort that went into embodying that aspect of the role. “Nothern accents are easy for me, but doing something below the Aravallis is a little harder. So it took a lot of hard work and almost a month of preparations. But I really enjoyed myself,” she adds. Huma also reveals which aspects of Tarla Dalal stuck with her the most. “Oh! Woman-next-door, exuberant, warm, kind, and family-oriented yet always having the fire to do something in her life are all aspects I loved in her,” she says. Huma also reveals what she felt the film was contributing to the conversation of women's empowerment. “I’m all for women's empowerment! My whole life is a testimony to that,” she exclaims. “I am also very family-oriented, I’m very close to my parents and my brother. They have always encouraged me to question, to be curious,” she says, adding, “So I feel like through my films and body of work, I want other young girls to be inspired.” She also opines, “People think that if a woman is empowered, then she does not love her family.” She responds to this notion with a strong point, “I don’t think that is true. I think it’s a notion that we have to break through popular cinema and I feel like films like Tarla will go a long way in helping us understand how women are also navigating this space.” For Huma, Tarla feels like a homage to her mother and her mother’s generation because, as she puts it, they were the “OG feminists”.
The film’s teaser also offers a glimpse of the first steps that Tarla Dalal took toward starting her career. This involved opening a ‘Khana banane ki tuition (a tuition for making food)”, as Huma puts it. She recollects the experience of recreating that moment, calling it a ‘fun’ scene. She makes us aware of the absurdity that the character felt, calling home cooking lessons, ‘Khana banane ki tuition’. “Yeh kya hoti hai? Maths, Geography toh samajh aata hai, par khana banane ki tuition? (What is this? I understand that tuitions exist for Maths or Geography, what tuition exists for cooking?)” she says.
Vitamin sea
When asked what her fashion style is, Huma quickly responds, “Comfortable!” adding that pyjamas are one of her favourite silhouettes for when she is not working. “When I’m not working, and there’s no make-up, and my hair’s in a bun, T-shirts and pyjamas are my type!” Huma Qureshi’s love for travelling is well-known among her followers; case in point — the various posts on multiple vacation looks. Topping her list of favourite travel destinations is “any place with an ocean or sea”. Revealing that she is a morning person, Huma tells us about what her perfect morning would be like. “Where I live in Mumbai, my room overlooks a little lake, which is a protected area. So I can see it from my bedroom window and as the sun rises, because of how my bed is placed, it hits my face directly. So I love that feeling. No matter how tired I am, I have to wake up with the sunrise and I love that,” she explains.
Rapid Fire
What has been in your shopping cart lately?
I love buying home décor stuff, linen bed cover and bedsheets among others. I am a very home person. I also love buying lamps. Additionally, I’m quite obsessed with white sheets and right now, I am really into plants.
What can one find in Huma Qureshi’s bag?
My credit cards, perfume, wallet, mint and a book.
Coffee or tea?
Coffee! Although, I do have my phases on some days when I crave chai!
Since you’re playing a culinary icon, which item in your pantry represents you best?
A pineapple. I love them! I know you have to make an effort to cut them, but once you get to the centre, they’re quite worth it.