‘I have grown up emulating Madhuri’

Huma Qureshi tells us about working alongside one of her idols in this weekend’s highly anticipated release Dedh Ishqiya.

Stories about female bonding or female friendship are something that Bollywood has not explored much. Dedh Ishqiya might possibility enter that zone this weekend. Judging from the trailers of Abhishek Chaubey’s new project, the bond between Begum Para and Muniya, the two characters portrayed by Madhuri Dixit and Huma Qureshi seem to be the highlight of the movie. When we tell Huma how wonderful it is to see two female characters bonding rather than being jealous of each other or getting into petty fights which has been the stereotypical image seen in many Hindi movies, Huma concurs: “Absolutely, I agree. You will see female bonding of another level in this movie. Most of my scenes are with Madhuri Ma’am. I was very nervous to start shooting with her. In fact the very first scene of the movie that we shot was like as if we have known each other forever. We connected well and I am glad it comes across very well in the promos. As an actor it is my ambition to constantly push the boundary and do something new. It is nice that this movie shows a lot of female friendship that we haven’t shown much or maybe at all in Bollywood”.

In Dedh Ishqiya Huma’s character Muniya plays Madhuri’s character Begum Para’s best friend and partner-in-crime. Begum (probably one of the most interesting women characters to come out of Bollywood in recent times) has a dark past yet she is beautiful, desirable, cultured, sophisticated and mysterious. Begum, touted as a New Age Femme Fatale, is in her forties, speaks chaste Urdu and does Kathak.

Its not just Madhuri’s character that comes across as powerful in this movie, Huma’s character is equally interesting. “She is a quintessential serious Indian woman. You never know what is going on in her mind. Her background is very conservative but she is very modern in her outlook. She is aggressive and knows what’s in her mind. If she wants something she will get it which is diametrically opposite to the social strata that she comes from. Sometimes you will see her in a ‘Mushaira’ (a gathering of poets), sometimes next to the ‘Begum’, sometimes in some dark alley with men. She is mysterious”.

Huma Qureshi might have been in Bollywood for just two years, but she has already worked with great names like Vishal Bharadwaj, Gulzar and Anurag Kashyap. In Dedh Ishqiya she shares screen space with powerhouse talents like Madhuri Dixit, Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi. She told us it was like a dream come true to be part of this film. “I loved Ishqiya. I could never ever even dream that I would be part of the sequel. All my co actors are legends in their own right. Naseer sir is such a powerhouse of talent. Arshad Warsi has the best comic timing in the industry. This is such cool and talented cast to be part of and I am glad that Abhishek choose me to play Muniya. I know I will remember this character and love it even twenty years from now.”

Huma who constantly refers to Madhuri Dixit as ‘Madhuri Ma’am’ throughout our conversation says, “This film was more special because of Madhuri Ma’am as I have grown up watching her, emulating her and copying her style. It was very flattering to be in the same frame as her. We met once for the script reading session. She is a very easy going and chilled out person to work with. She comes with no hang ups. She is very cool, humble and down-to-earth in spite of being a superstar. Often during our food breaks we would share dessert from each other’s plate.”

Of late, heroines from the Indian film industry have been breaking barriers by taking on path breaking roles. Be it Vidya Balan in The Dirty Picture or Deepika Padukone in Cocktail or Ram-Leela, heroines are no more apologetic about who they are. And judging from the box office success of these movies, it looks like the audience is willing to accept such real characters as long as the film is entertaining and made well. Huma mirrors this by saying, “Finally we have come to accept actresses as people. They are doing diverse roles which even the audience is loving. Deepika playing Leela which is not a quintessential character. Vidya Balan doing Ishqiya, Kahaani, The Dirty Picture, Priyanka Chopra doing so many diverse roles, we are breaking the rules. Directors and writers are adding more layers and shades to our character and the best part is the audience is accepting it.”

If Ishqiya told the story of a lovelorn woman who uses two street smart guys to settle scores, Dedh Ishqiya is based in an alternate fancy world. The makers claim Madhuri’s character is very different from Vidya Balan’s character in Ishqiya. This film will be immersed in poetry, music and colours merged with modern sensibilities. In this film everyone has their own agenda, and no one is a saint. Just like in real life.

Those from the industry who have been privy to a special screening of the movie ahead of its release this weekend are already raving about it. We’ve also heard the characters spout a lot of pure Urdu, so be ready to concentrate on English subtitles incase you do not understand the language. Our sources also inform us that the talented Arshad Warsi once again steals the scene in this powerfully entertaining movie. Those who have seen Ishqiya would have already witnessed Naseer and Arshad’s chemistry.

But for many Bollywood fans, it is Madhuri and Huma’s magic they are waiting to witness as Dedh Ishqiya hits the big screen this weekend.

Stories about female bonding or female friendship are something that Bollywood has not explored much. Dedh Ishqiya might possibility enter that zone this weekend. Judging from the trailers of Abhishek Chaubey’s new project, the bond between Begum Para and Muniya, the two characters portrayed by Madhuri Dixit and Huma Qureshi seem to be the highlight of the movie. When we tell Huma how wonderful it is to see two female characters bonding rather than being jealous of each other or getting into petty fights which has been the stereotypical image seen in many Hindi movies, Huma concurs: “Absolutely, I agree. You will see female bonding of another level in this movie. Most of my scenes are with Madhuri Ma’am. I was very nervous to start shooting with her. In fact the very first scene of the movie that we shot was like as if we have known each other forever. We connected well and I am glad it comes across very well in the promos. As an actor it is my ambition to constantly push the boundary and do something new. It is nice that this movie shows a lot of female friendship that we haven’t shown much or maybe at all in Bollywood”.

In Dedh Ishqiya Huma’s character Muniya plays Madhuri’s character Begum Para’s best friend and partner-in-crime. Begum (probably one of the most interesting women characters to come out of Bollywood in recent times) has a dark past yet she is beautiful, desirable, cultured, sophisticated and mysterious. Begum, touted as a New Age Femme Fatale, is in her forties, speaks chaste Urdu and does Kathak.

Its not just Madhuri’s character that comes across as powerful in this movie, Huma’s character is equally interesting. “She is a quintessential serious Indian woman. You never know what is going on in her mind. Her background is very conservative but she is very modern in her outlook. She is aggressive and knows what’s in her mind. If she wants something she will get it which is diametrically opposite to the social strata that she comes from. Sometimes you will see her in a ‘Mushaira’ (a gathering of poets), sometimes next to the ‘Begum’, sometimes in some dark alley with men. She is mysterious”.

Huma Qureshi might have been in Bollywood for just two years, but she has already worked with great names like Vishal Bharadwaj, Gulzar and Anurag Kashyap. In Dedh Ishqiya she shares screen space with powerhouse talents like Madhuri Dixit, Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi. She told us it was like a dream come true to be part of this film. “I loved Ishqiya. I could never ever even dream that I would be part of the sequel. All my co actors are legends in their own right. Naseer sir is such a powerhouse of talent. Arshad Warsi has the best comic timing in the industry. This is such cool and talented cast to be part of and I am glad that Abhishek choose me to play Muniya. I know I will remember this character and love it even twenty years from now.”

Huma who constantly refers to Madhuri Dixit as ‘Madhuri Ma’am’ throughout our conversation says, “This film was more special because of Madhuri Ma’am as I have grown up watching her, emulating her and copying her style. It was very flattering to be in the same frame as her. We met once for the script reading session. She is a very easy going and chilled out person to work with. She comes with no hang ups. She is very cool, humble and down-to-earth in spite of being a superstar. Often during our food breaks we would share dessert from each other’s plate.”

Of late, heroines from the Indian film industry have been breaking barriers by taking on path breaking roles. Be it Vidya Balan in The Dirty Picture or Deepika Padukone in Cocktail or Ram-Leela, heroines are no more apologetic about who they are. And judging from the box office success of these movies, it looks like the audience is willing to accept such real characters as long as the film is entertaining and made well. Huma mirrors this by saying, “Finally we have come to accept actresses as people. They are doing diverse roles which even the audience is loving. Deepika playing Leela which is not a quintessential character. Vidya Balan doing Ishqiya, Kahaani, The Dirty Picture, Priyanka Chopra doing so many diverse roles, we are breaking the rules. Directors and writers are adding more layers and shades to our character and the best part is the audience is accepting it.”

If Ishqiya told the story of a lovelorn woman who uses two street smart guys to settle scores, Dedh Ishqiya is based in an alternate fancy world. The makers claim Madhuri’s character is very different from Vidya Balan’s character in Ishqiya. This film will be immersed in poetry, music and colours merged with modern sensibilities. In this film everyone has their own agenda, and no one is a saint. Just like in real life.

Those from the industry who have been privy to a special screening of the movie ahead of its release this weekend are already raving about it. We’ve also heard the characters spout a lot of pure Urdu, so be ready to concentrate on English subtitles incase you do not understand the language. Our sources also inform us that the talented Arshad Warsi once again steals the scene in this powerfully entertaining movie. Those who have seen Ishqiya would have already witnessed Naseer and Arshad’s chemistry.

But for many Bollywood fans, it is Madhuri and Huma’s magic they are waiting to witness as Dedh Ishqiya hits the big screen this weekend.

Body beautiful Huma Qureshi has faced lot of criticism for her body image. She tells us why young girls need to love themselves for who they are. “It’s very tragic because everyone just wants to become a clone or look like somebody else. In reality we should celebrate individuality. Some of the biggest superstars of this world are the ones who have stood out. Even I had body issues while growing up. I saw the same magazine, same music videos and movie posters while growing up. I wanted to be like them, wear clothes like them but with time and thanks to my family and friends I have realised that I need to love myself for who I am. Yes, initially I did face a lot of criticism but at the same time for my work I also got a lot of appreciation and I was glad that work was coming my way. I have never felt less beautiful or not pretty. I am not trying to endorse anything but I am happy with myself and the way my career is shaping up. I think it is high time we stop pushing ideas or notions of beauty or that only a certain body type is beautiful on young minds.”