Monica O My Darling, Maharani, Double XL and Tarla – Huma Qureshi’s film choices are anything but predictable. The actress tells us that she is unafraid of experimenting and out of the box is what she wants to be with every role that she plays. In a conversation with us, she talks about this and much more. Excerpts…

I am enjoying the work I am doing and taking each day as it comes. The film industry has opened up because of OTT platforms. People are consuming more content and are open to newer ideas. Female-centric stories are doing well. The notion of what works and what doesn’t has changed.

People asked me why would you do a Tarla after doing a role like Monica? The truth is, I want to challenge myself as an artiste. My biggest high is that no one can say that I can do only a certain kind of role. I have a skill set as an actor that I want to explore to the fullest. I want to experiment with different genres. I loved recreating what Helen ma’am or Parveen Babi did back in the day in Monica O My Darling. I loved watching Tarla Dalal’s old videos and observing her mannerisms, style of talking, and cooking. Playing myself in movies would be boring. I live with myself all the time anyway.

When the trailer of Double XL came out, people asked me if that was my real arm (in the scene where I am seen with cricketer Shikhar Dhawan). I was told by people, ‘Yeh kya pagalpan hai? What have you done to yourself and how much weight have you put on!’ I told them this was a story where if I didn’t put on 20 kilos, it wouldn’t look real. Just wearing a fat suit or padded clothes wouldn’t be honest. I didn’t want girls to look at me and say, ‘They are actresses, what do they know about being fat-shamed or feeling insecure about their looks? What do they know about being overweight?’ I decided to go the whole hog. That’s the only way the film could have touched people. Mazaa useeka hai. I get inspired when I see actors who transform themselves for roles. After working for 10 years, I don’t want my audience to feel fatigued when they look at my face. It’s good when people don’t know what to expect from you.

I am a non-controversial person, who loves to focus on her work. I just speak my truth as any person should. If that makes a statement, so be it. I am not trying to be sensational. I remember being asked, ‘Why would you do a Tarla at this point in your career when you are at your prime?’ That’s when I said, why is there pressure on women to always look 19! I am at a stage in my life where I can play someone in her 20s, 30s, 40s and even 50s if need be. I want filmmakers to look at me and feel that ‘Let me write something for her’… crazy or out of the box.

I don’t want to be remembered as just a pretty face. I want to be known for my body of work. I feel happy when someone says, ‘Look at the wide range of characters she has played.’ That’s all I have got. My next films are completely different and clutter-breaking. If I am afraid of experimenting and I stick to playing safe parts, then I am not doing justice to my own dream. As a little girl, I loved dressing up and playing different roles. This is to honour that little girl.