Doing two-heroine projects in Pooja Meri Jaan and Double XL, Huma says she is a secure artiste who doesn’t want to be limited by industry’s trappings
Huma Qureshi and Mrunal Thakur
It has been a busy week for Huma Qureshi. While she began the promotional run for the second season of Maharani, her next Pooja Meri Jaan was also announced. With its teaser that shows the threatening side of a romantic proposal, the makers have built much intrigue around the Navjot Gulati-directed movie. “It is a relevant conversation, which [piqued] my interest in the film,” begins Qureshi, who is joined by Mrunal Thakur and Vijay Raaz in the Dinesh Vijan production. “I have worked with Dinoo on Badlapur [2015] before. This film is also produced by Amar Kaushik who is one of the best directors we have in the country today. When he told me he is creatively producing the film, I was kicked about it. Navjot’s script is so hard-hitting, highlighting an important conversation we need to have.”
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It is equally relevant to discuss how Qureshi, while headlining solo outings like Maharani and the Tarla Dalal biopic, is unafraid to give her nod to two-heroine projects. If Pooja Meri Jaan sees her share the frame with Thakur, Double XL has her teaming up with Sonakshi Sinha. Happy to front stories told from women’s perspective, she says, “I am operating from a place where content matters the most. I am a secure actor who is assured of her space. If I like the film and the intentions of those making it, [I will go ahead]. Be it Sonakshi, Mrunal or I, we stand here to service the story and tell it right. As artistes, we should not let ourselves get limited too easily and too soon.”
From her performances to her choice of projects, it is evident that Qureshi has matured as an artiste. The new line of thinking, she says, comes from director Deepa Mehta, with whom she collaborated on Leila. “She has empowered me as a performer. I talk to her every week. She is my mentor in a way. She is the first director who shot me in a way where the camera was [focused] on my eyeball. I was petrified, but she gave me the confidence that I can shoulder a project.”
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