Huma Qureshi on her first international film and the perception around Indian actors in the West
Manishaa R (DNA; March 3, 2017)

A UK production, on the end of the British Raj in India, Viceroy House, which stars Huma Qureshi alongside acting veterans like Hugh Bonneville and Gillian Anderson as Lord and Lady Mountbatten, sees the Indian actress headed the Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone way.

PC’s and DP’s accents were scrutinised and criticised in equal measure across the board, in the West. Huma, however, had to use the British accent for her first international outing. Of the experience, she says, “I had to work on my accent, but if you are going to another country and working there, you have to play by their rules. I not only had to master my British accent, but the speech had to be similar to an educated girl in 1947. I had to work on a specific accent for which I listened to a lot of speeches of female leaders during the era, besides working with an accent teacher.”

Huma believes that more people are now interested in Indian actors than ever before. She says, “The focus towards Indian actors is definitely changing in the world. When I go to the West, I have observed that there is a genuine interest in Indian movies and actors. It is true that we are looked at with a magnifying glass, but we are no less in comparison — whether it is fashion, cinema or just the way we present ourselves. We don’t lag behind anywhere.”

Of PC and DP leading the way internationally and her carrying on the baton, Huma quips, “They are way senior than I am. I’ve only just started off. I feel very proud of them!”