Huma Qureshi | |
---|---|
Born | Huma Saleem Qureshi 28 July 1986 New Delhi, India |
Alma mater | University of Delhi |
Occupation |
|
Years active | 2012–present |
Relatives | Saqib Saleem (brother) |
Family | Qureshi family [1] |
Huma Saleem Qureshi (pronounced [ˈɦʊmaː səˈliːm qʊˈɾɛːʃiː] ; born 28 July 1986) is an Indian actress and model who primarily appears in Hindi language films. She has also received three Filmfare Award nominations. Qureshi obtained a bachelor's degree in History—with honours—from the University of Delhi, while she worked as a theatre actor and model. After working in several theatrical productions, she moved to Mumbai and signed a two-year contract with Hindustan Unilever to appear in television commercials. During the shoot for a Samsung mobile commercial, Anurag Kashyap noticed her acting ability and signed her for a three-film deal with his company.
Qureshi made her film debut with a supporting role in the two-part 2012 crime drama Gangs of Wasseypur . Her performance in the film earned her several nominations, including the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut and the Best Supporting Actress. That same year, she played the lead female role in the romance Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana , and followed it with a role in Ek Thi Daayan .
She portrayed protagonists in the anthological Shorts (2013), protagonist in the black comedy Dedh Ishqiya (2014), and supporting roles in the revenge drama Badlapur (2015) and the Marathi road drama Highway (2015). Qureshi's later roles included in films like Jolly LLB 2 (2017) and Dobaara: See Your Evil (2017). She made her web series debut with the 2019 dystopian drama Leila . Huma was praised for portrayal of the character of Rani Bharti in SonyLiv web series Maharani. [2]
Qureshi was born on 28 July 1986 [3] [4] into a Muslim family in New Delhi, India. [5] Her father, Saleem Qureshi, is a restaurateur who runs a chain of 10 restaurants (Saleem's); [6] her mother, Ameena Qureshi (a Kashmiri), is a housewife. [7] [8] She has three brothers, including actor Saqib Saleem. [8] [9] The family relocated to Kalkaji, South Delhi, when Qureshi was a child. She completed her bachelor's in History with Honours from the Gargi College—University of Delhi. [10] [11] Later, she joined Act 1 theatre group and performed in a few theatre productions. N. K Shrama was her mentor and acting teacher during her theatre days. [12] She has worked with several NGOs and assisted a documentary filmmaker. [7]
In 2008, she moved to Mumbai to audition for film roles, auditioning for a film, Junction, which was never made: "I never thought of coming to Mumbai or being an actress. But when my friend called me for an audition for a movie called Junction, it set me thinking. Sadly, the film never got made". [7] Qureshi signed a two-year contract with Hindustan Unilever to appear in their television commercials. [13] She promoted a range of products, including Samsung Mobile (with Aamir Khan), Nerolac (with Shah Rukh Khan), Vita Marie, Saffola Oil, Mederma Cream and Pears Soap. [13] [14] During a shoot for a Samsung Mobile commercial, director Anurag Kashyap was impressed with her acting ability and promised to use her in a film. Qureshi recalled: "I didn't believe him then. You hear lots of such stories in this industry, so I wasn't waiting with bated breath". Kashyap kept his promise, though, signing her for a three-film deal with his company Anurag Kashyap Films. [7]
Qureshi was initially scheduled to make her film debut with Billa II , a Tamil gangster-thriller, directed and produced by Chakri Toleti, after surviving an audition out of 700 candidates. Although cast as the female lead, when the film was delayed, Qureshi left the project to honour other work commitments. [15] [16] When asked whether she had any regrets, she said: "I have no regrets. I wish it had worked out, but it didn't. I am not someone who sits and laments over things. I was approached for several other south films too, but the roles weren't what I was looking for". [15]
Qureshi made her feature film debut with a supporting role in Anurag Kashyap's critically acclaimed two-part crime drama Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 (2012), where Qureshi was cast as the supportive wife of a criminal (played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui). She described her character as a small-town airhead who thinks she is the prettiest girl in the village: "Mohsina tries to copy everything she sees on the big screen in her own little ways. She is heavily influenced by Bollywood". [17] The film premiered at the 65th Cannes Film Festival, and both the film and Qureshi received positive reviews from critics. [18] [19] Govind Nihalani noted her screen presence, comparing the actress to Smita Patil: "an earthiness, sincerity, intensity and warmth of personality, qualities that distinguished Smita, apart from the fact that she was a very fine and instinctive actress. Huma is a good enough actress on her own, someone who can stand apart from the crowd and hold her own". [20] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama noted: "Huma Qureshi, who's introduced much later in the film...is wonderful". [21] [22] The Express Tribune added: "When it comes to looks, [Huma] is different from the typical Bollywood actors". [14] In 2012, Qureshi was ranked third, the highest female position, on Rediff.com's annual list of "Bollywood's Top Ten Debutants" (male and female). [23] Following the success of the first part, she reprised her role of Mohsina in the second instalment of the Gangs of Wasseypur series, Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 2 . The film premiered in the Cannes Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival with its prequel. It opened to wide critical acclaim, [18] and her portrayal again received positive reviews. Madhureeta Mukherjee of The Times of India said: "Huma Qureshi, with her gaudy clothes, designer sun-glasses and unusual attractiveness is the hottest cheez in Wasseypur. She beautifully lends support as a powerful man's 'prouder' better-half, even in his worst crimes", [24] and Taran Adarsh found her "simply fantastic". [25] Both films earned her Best Female Debut and Best Supporting Actress nominations at several award ceremonies (including the Filmfare Award). [26] Qureshi described Gangs of Wasseypur as a "life-changing film". [20]
That same year, Qureshi completed her three-film contract with Anurag Kashyap Films by starring in Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana , a romantic comedy, which describes a quest for an ancient family dish; Chicken Khurana. Directed by Sameer Sharma, she played the role of a feisty Punjabi girl, Harman (star Kunal Kapoor's love interest). The film was a financial success, and Rediff.com noted that "Huma Qureshi looks right for the role and she delivers a wonderful performance". [27] Aniruddha Guha of the Daily News and Analysis said: "[Qureshi], on the other hand, is charming as the fiery Punjaban, Harman. Her refreshingly natural acting style impresses again in a role that has shades of her character in Gangs of Wasseypur". However, Anupama Chopra found her performance to be "a little bland". [28] [29]
For her next feature, Qureshi was cast as a witch in the supernatural thriller Ek Thi Daayan (2013), alongside Emraan Hashmi, Konkona Sen Sharma and Kalki Koechlin. Dealing with the themes of witchcraft, the film was based on 'Mobius Trips', a short story written by Konkona Sen Sharma's father. [30] It received mixed reviews from critics, [31] but proved to be a profitable venture at the box office. [32] Qureshi's performance was also well received. The Indian Express said: "Qureshi has just a few good moments, but makes the most of them", while Koimoi noted that "Qureshi has a remarkably pleasant and confident screen presence". [33] [34] Raja Sen particularly praised the female cast and wrote "The three leading ladies are smashing in their roles...Each plays their given role with frighteningly good flair, and each deserves a big hand." [35] After appearing in Ek Thi Daayan, Qureshi, along with R. Madhavan hosted the 60th ceremony of the National Film Awards, an event presented by the Directorate of Film Festivals to honor the Best Films of the year (then 2012) in the Indian cinema by the President of India. The ceremony was held on May 3, 2013, at the Vigyan Bhavan during the presidency of Pranab Mukherjee.
Shortly afterwards, Qureshi played the titular character in the short movie Sujata—released as one of the segments of Shorts , an anthology film by Anurag Kashyap. She played the eponymous lead as a young girl who is struggling to come out of the clutches of her tormenting cousin brother (played by Satya Anand). [36] The film was screened at Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles before its release and received generally positive reviews, and Qureshi's performance was critically acclaimed and earned her a Special Mention Award at the ceremony. [37] [38] Her subsequent release that year included the underworld drama D-Day , in which she was featured as Zoya Rehman, an explosive R.A.W agent with an ensemble cast including Irfan Khan, Arjun Rampal, Rishi Kapoor and Shruti Hassan. During the script narration, the director Nikhil Advani offered Qureshi the choice of which woman to play, either Suraiya (later played by Hassan) or Zoya; she decided on Zoya to expand her horizons as an actress. [39] The film was a flop at the box office and received mixed feedback from critics, while Qureshi's performance received favourable reviews; Subhash K. Jha mentioned that Qureshi's acting is "effortlessly appealing and effective." [40] [41]
In 2014, Qureshi featured in Abhishek Chaubey's black comedy Dedh Ishqiya (2014), a sequel to the 2010 film Ishqiya , co-starring Madhuri Dixit, Arshad Warsi and Naseeruddin Shah . [42] Dedh Ishqiya was a commercial success, earning ₹270 million (US$4.1 million) in India and abroad and Qureshi received praise for her portrayal of the promiscuous companion of a con woman (played by Dixit). [43] In a 5-star review, Raja Sen commented that "Qureshi uses her fiercely intelligent eyes to great effect", whilst Mohar Basu agreed, saying that "Huma Qureshi is brilliant and confident. The actress has in her the vivacious energy that proves her talent." [44] [45] Qureshi's last appearance of 2014 was Rochak Kohli's music video "Mitti Di Khusboo" with Ayushmann Khurrana. India Today noted: "The chemistry the two Ayushmann and Huma share onscreen has the raw flavor of the countryside romance". [46]
The following year, Qureshi appeared as a prostitute in Sriram Raghavan's crime thriller Badlapur , alongside Varun Dhawan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. [47] Raja Sen praised her acting and wrote that she "is hauntingly good as a call-girl". The film was a commercial success, and Qureshi received the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress nomination. [48] [49] Umesh Kulkarni's Marathi film Highway marked her debut in Marathi cinema. It received mixed reviews from critics, and proved to be a moderate box office success. [50] [51] [52] The same year, she acted in the collaborative film X: Past Is Present . It was directed by a team of eleven filmmakers with Qureshi appearing in "Knot", a segment directed by film critic Raja Sen, where she appeared alongside Anshuman Jha. [53] 2016 marked the debut of Qureshi in Malayalam cinema with White . She starred in dual roles in the film alongside Mammootty. The film opened to generally negative reviews from critics. [54] [55] [56]
Qureshi's first release of 2017 was the courtroom comedy drama Jolly LLB 2 , where she appeared alongside Akshay Kumar. A sequel to the 2013 film Jolly LLB , the film received mixed reviews from critics and was a box office success. [57] [58] Her next film was Gurinder Chadha's British-Indian historical drama Viceroy's House . The film follows the story of Viceroy's House in 1947 during the partition of India and was screened at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival. [59] She then appeared along with her brother Saqib Saleem in Prawaal Raman's horror film Dobaara: See Your Evil (2017), a remake of Mike Flanagan's Hollywood flick Oculus (2013). Flanagan also served as the executive producer of the film. [60] Qureshi starred opposite Rajinikanth in the Tamil language film Kaala . It was released on 7 June 2018. [61]
In 2019, Qureshi played the title character in the Netflix dystopian series Leila , based on the novel of the same name. [62] Directed by Deepa Mehta, Shanker Raman and Pawan Kumar, the series premiered on 14 June 2019 to mostly positive review from critics with particular praise for Qureshi's performance. [63] Hiba Beg of The Quint felt that Qureshi's "raw presence in the show is as real as it gets on screen." [64]
Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2012 | Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 | Mohsina | |
Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 2 | |||
2012 | Trishna | Herself | Special appearance in song "Maintenance" |
2012 | Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana | Harman | |
2012 | Upanishad Ganga | Pundalik's wife Nati Hussaini | Television series |
2013 | Ek Thi Daayan | Tamara | |
2013 | Shorts | Sujata | Appeared in segment "Sujata" |
2013 | D-Day | Zoya Rehman | |
2014 | Dedh Ishqiya | Muniya | |
2015 | Badlapur | Jhimli | |
2015 | Highway | Mahalakshmi | Marathi film |
2015 | X: Past Is Present | Veena | Appeared in segment "Knot" |
2016 | White | Roshni Menon | Malayalam film |
2016 | Tumhe Dillagi | Music video | |
2017 | Ek Dopahar | Raina | Short film |
2017 | Jolly LLB 2 | Pushpa Pandey | |
2017 | Viceroy's House | Aalia | English film |
2017 | Dobaara: See Your Evil | Natasha Merchant | |
2018 | Kaala | Zareena | Tamil film |
2019 | Leila | Shalini | TV series |
2020 | Ghoomketu | Cameo appearance | |
2021 | Army of the Dead | Geeta | American film |
2021 | Maharani [65] | Rani Bharti | TV Series |
2021 | Bell Bottom | Adeela Rehman | [66] |
2021 | Valimai | TBA | Tamil film; post-production [67] |
2021 | Monica, O My Darling | TBA | Netflix Original Filming [68] |
Madhuri Dixit Nene is an Indian actress, producer and television personality. One of the most popular actresses of Hindi cinema, she has appeared in over 70 Bollywood films. The recipient of numerous accolades, including six Filmfare Awards, she was among the country's highest-paid actresses in the 1990s and early 2000s, and has featured seven times on Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list. In 2008, the Government of India awarded her with Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour of the country.
Anurag Kashyap is an Indian film director, writer, editor, producer, actor known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards. For his contributions to film, the Government of France awarded him the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2013.
Sneha Khanwalkar is an Indian music director who works in Hindi films. She is best known for her score for the film, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, and also for Gangs of Wasseypur Part 1, Part 2. She had been nominated in Best Music Director category at the 58th Filmfare Awards for Gangs of Wasseypur Part 1 & Part 2. She is only the second woman to gain a nomination in this category 28 years after Usha Khanna.
Richa Chadda is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films, best known for her work in the Fukrey Series. After debuting in a small role in the comedy film Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008), she worked as a supporting actress in several films. Her major breakthrough was a supporting role in the film noir gangster saga Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), where her role as the bellicose and extremely foul-tongued wife of a gangster earned her a Filmfare award. Her sole foray into mainstream cinema has been as a supporting character in Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela (2013).
Ishqiya (transl. Passionate) is a 2010 Indian black comedy film starring Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi and Salman Shahid in the lead roles. It was directed by Abhishek Chaubey in his directorial debut, cinematography by Mohana Krishna, and was produced by Raman Maroo and Vishal Bhardwaj. The film was released on 29 January 2010.
Jai Kishan Ahlawat, better known by his stage name Jaideep Ahlawat, is an Indian film actor. Jaideep completed his graduation from Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune in 2008. After completing his education, he headed Mumbai, to pursue his dreams to become an actor. He started his career in Bollywood with a small role in a short film called "Narmeen" in 2008. Later, he got a role in Aakrosh (2010) and the same year, he also starred in a satire comedy film called Khatta Meetha, wherein his negative role of a politician got appreciated in the film circles. He also did a small role in Love Sex Aur Dhokha (2010).
Vishal Bhardwaj is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, music composer and playback singer. He is known for his work in Hindi cinema, and is the recipient of seven National Film Awards in four categories.
Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language action crime film directed by Anurag Kashyap, and written by Kashyap and Zeishan Quadri. It is the first installment of the Gangs of Wasseypur series, centered on the coal mafia of Dhanbad, and the underlying power struggles, politics and vengeance between three crime families from 1941 to the mid-1990s. Part 1 stars an ensemble cast, featuring Manoj Bajpayee, Richa Chadda, Reema Sen, Piyush Mishra, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vineet Kumar Singh, Pankaj Tripathi, Huma Qureshi, Anurita Jha and Tigmanshu Dhulia.
Dedh Ishqiya is a 2014 Indian black comedy film directed by Abhishek Chaubey and starring Arshad Warsi, Naseeruddin Shah, Madhuri Dixit and Huma Qureshi. Produced by Raman Maroo of Shemaroo Entertainment and by Vishal Bharadwaj, it is a sequel of Ishqiya (2010). It was released worldwide on 10 January 2014.
Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 2 is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language crime film co-written, produced and directed by Anurag Kashyap. It is the second installment of the Gangs of Wasseypur series centered on the coal mafia of Dhanbad, Jharkhand, and the underlying power struggles, politics and vengeance between three crime families. Part 2 features an ensemble cast with Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Manoj Bajpayee, Richa Chadda, Huma Qureshi, Reema Sen, Piyush Mishra, Pankaj Tripathi, Zeishan Quadri, Rajkumar Rao and Tigmanshu Dhulia in major roles. Its story spans from the 1990s to 2009.
Zeishan Quadri is an Indian writer, actor, director and producer who wrote the story and co-wrote the screenplay for the Bollywood crime genre film Gangs of Wasseypur, directed by Anurag Kashyap. Quadri has also acted in Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 2. He has directed and produced the film Meeruthiya Gangsters.
Gangs of Wasseypur is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language two-part crime film produced and directed by Anurag Kashyap, and written by Kashyap and Zeishan Quadri. Centered on the coal mafia of Dhanbad, and the underlying power struggles, politics and vengeance between three crime families, the film features an ensemble cast, with Manoj Bajpai, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Richa Chadda, Huma Qureshi and Tigmanshu Dhulia in the major roles. Its story spans 68 years from 1941 to 2009.
Ek Thi Daayan is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language supernatural thriller film directed by Kannan Iyer, adapted from the short story Mobius Trips by Mukul Sharma. The film stars Emraan Hashmi, Huma Qureshi, Konkona Sen Sharma and Kalki Koechlin. The film is co-produced by Ekta Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor, Vishal Bhardwaj and Rekha Bhardwaj. It was released on 19 April 2013 to positive reviews from critics and decent box-office collections.
Rani Mukerji is an Indian actress known for her work in Hindi films. She made her screen debut with a parallel lead role in Biyer Phool (1996), a Bengali film directed by her father Ram Mukherjee. Her first leading role was that of a rape victim in the 1996 social drama Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat, for which she won a special jury trophy at the Screen Awards. In 1998 she received wider recognition for her role alongside Aamir Khan in the action film Ghulam. Later that year, her breakthrough role as the romantic interest of Shah Rukh Khan's character in the romantic drama Kuch Kuch Hota Hai earned Mukerji her first Filmfare Award in the Best Supporting Actress category. She followed this initial success by portraying the leading lady in several films, including Hello Brother (1999) and Nayak: The Real Hero (2001), none of which helped propel her career forward.
Shorts is a compilation of five short films directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, Vasan Bala, Anubhuti Kashyap, Shlok Sharma and Gitanjali Rao. The five short films titled Sujata, Mehfuz, Audacity, Epilogue, and Shor were released on 12 July 2013.
Vidya Balan is an Indian actress known for her work in Hindi films. She made her acting debut in 1995 with the sitcom Hum Paanch, following which she made several attempts at a career in Malayalam and Tamil films. However, the first of the films she had signed on for was indefinitely postponed, and she was replaced with other actresses in each subsequent project. Vidya then appeared in music videos for the performers Euphoria, Pankaj Udhas, and Shubha Mudgal, all of which were directed by Pradeep Sarkar. She made her film debut with a leading role in Goutam Halder's Bengali film Bhalo Theko (2003). In 2005, she played the heroine Lalita in Sarkar's Parineeta, her first Hindi film, which was an adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel of the same name. Vidya won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut for the film. Rajkumar Hirani's Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006), a successful comedy sequel, saw her play a radio jockey opposite Sanjay Dutt.
Anurag Kashyap is an Indian filmmaker and actor, known for his work in Hindi cinema. After writing a television series Kabhie Kabhie (1997), Kashyap co-wrote Ram Gopal Varma's crime drama Satya (1998). He later wrote and directed a short television film, Last Train to Mahakali (1999), and made his feature film debut with the yet-unreleased film Paanch. He next directed Black Friday (2007), a film on the 1993 Bombay bombings. Its release was barred by India's Censor Board for two years, but was eventually released in 2007 to positive reviews. The same year, he directed the critical and commercial failure No Smoking. Return of Hanuman (2007), an animated film, was Kashyap's next directorial venture. In 2009, he directed Dev.D, a modern-day take on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's Bengali novel Devdas, along with the political drama Gulaal. Despite positive reviews, the latter was a box-office failure.
Madhuri Dixit is an Indian actress, film producer, television personality, musical artist and dancer known for her works in Hindi films. She made her acting debut in 1984 with Abodh where she portrayed a young bride. Dixit went on to appear in several films over the next three years, including the dramas Awara Baap (1985) and Swati (1986), though none of them garnered her much recognition. The role of Mohini in N. Chandra's action romance drama Tezaab (1988) proved to be a breakthrough for Dixit. The film went on to become the highest-grossing film of that year. For her performance, Dixit received a Best Actress nomination at Filmfare. She achieved further success by featuring as the female lead in several top-grossing action-dramas, including Ram Lakhan (1989), Tridev (1989), and Kishen Kanhaiya (1990). The role of a wealthy brat in the 1990 romantic drama Dil earned Dixit her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress. The following year, she starred in another box-office hit Saajan, and won a second Best Actress award at Filmfare for portraying the role of a strong woman who rebels against her manipulative mother-in-law in the 1992 drama Beta.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Huma Qureshi . |