"I've Never Wanted to Be an 'It' Girl": Huma Qureshi

So far, 2019 has been a fabulous year for our July covergirl Huma Qureshi. She represented India at the coveted 72nd Cannes Film Festival, and her Netflix debut, Leila, is garnering praise from both Indian and international critics. “I’ve never chased stars. I’ve never really wanted to be the ‘It’ girl. That’s not me. I always want to be seen as an artist who can walk the red carpet, go to Cannes every year, and do the whole fashion thing. I love my fashion [laughs]. I want to be the actor who straddles all these worlds, and proudly so.”

Talking about her recent Cannes experience, she says, “It was great,” with a grin. She recalls that she made her first Cannes appearance in 2012, when her debut film was selected for the prestigious film festival. Since then, Huma’s been a Cannes regular, but it wasn’t as easy for her then as it is now. “I remember the first year. I had no stylists. I called up my friend [designer] Varun Bahl and he was sweet enough to send me clothes. Niharika [Khan] styled me at the very last minute. She opened her jewellery box and lent some of her personal pieces. I can never forget those moments,” she reminisces.

As much as Huma loves couture and dressing up for the red carpet, she has often questioned unrealistic beauty standards and condemned the marginalisation of women just because they don’t have amazing hair or don’t belong to the skinny-sized group. “The focus should be on developing personality and individuality, which is more important than having poker-straight hair or a Size 24 waist. I have so many friends who are shamed for being skinny. Why can’t we just let women and their bodies be? I mean, right now, there are some states in America where women don’t have the right to their bodies. They can’t go through legal abortion. How sad is that? Who gets to decide what we do with our bodies? Why should it be everyone’s problem? Is it not a woman’s personal choice?” she questions.

Huma’s heart is in the right place, but she’s in a business where women are routinely judged, even discriminated against, for the way they look. When asked about the same, Huma looks into the mirror, applies lipstick, smacks her lips and says, “I’ve achieved success not despite who I am, but because of who I am. So, I  never had a problem...not with work, not with the boys,” she winks. This piques everyone’s interest around us and we ask her to spill the tea on her current relationship status. “You know I’m not going to answer that right? But, I can tell you that I’m very happy.” When asked about her ideal relationship, she wraps up by saying, “It’s important to be with someone with whom I can be the best version of myself. We should inspire and push each other to be better, both in our relationship and in our individual lives. Also, connection! Whether we’re going out or just watching TV at home, we must have a connect. Yeah, I think I’d like that.”