Bollywood star discusses her life in the world of Bollywood with Sunny Malik
Bollywood actress Huma Qureshi is currently in London filming the Indian remake of Hollywood movie Occulus.
The 29-year-old ‘Dedh Ishqiya’ star met up with The Asian Today’s Bollywood reporter Sunny Malik and discussed her life in the world of Bollywood.
How has it been filming in London so far?
I love London. I have been here before a few times while I was a college student. It’s the first time I am here after becoming an actor. I guess it’s different especially because I am filming a movie. Londo is amazing. The shops are great. I attended The Championships, Wimbledon and it was nice to see Sania Mirza win. I also saw a few musicals and theatres. I love the ones in London as they transport you into another world. When I first came here, I had to plan everything around my budget. Now I had the best seats in the house (laughs).
You yourself have worked in theatre in India. How smooth was the transition to films?
Movies are completely different, from conducting yourself to performance style, presentation and everything really. Theatre is a far more internal process at the same time it’s very gratifying. You get an instant reaction as to hoe people are reacting to your performance. Film on the other hand is a very long process where you have to patient. You also need to be aware of what you did before a scene and what you will have to do afterwards. It’s very technical and you depend on many more people to help you.
Is it less work than theatre then?
Actually it’s more work. I thought being a film actress will be an easy and glamorous job. No one told me that it will be such a hard job. I should have just run my Dad’s Kebab shop in Delhi (laughs).
Why did you take a risk and start your career with an unconventional film like Gangs of Wasseypur?
To be honest, it wasn’t like someone was waiting to launch me in Bollywood. I met Anurag Kashyap as he directed an advertisement with me and Aamir Khan. That itself was a very big deal for me. I was occasionally giving three auditions on a daily basis. I really admired Anurag’s work and I’m glad that I took up his offer. People told that I should wait for the conventional launch. The idea wasn’t to go directly to the big leagues. My first film had its debut at the Cannes Film Festival and I am very proud of it. I couldn’t have asked for a better debut.
Is it not more difficult to break into conventional films now?
Not really. I get offered conventional roles a lot. However, I want to do the right role. I don’t want to do a film where I have to run around a tree because everyone else thinks that I should do it. I believe that I have only grown with every film. I don’t want to step down and just do something for the sake of it
