Huma Qureshi has experimented with a variety of genres in both film and OTT platforms. She’s appeared in a lot of films lately, including the dark comedy Monica O My Darling (2022), the suspenseful thriller Mithya, the biographical drama Tarla (2023), and the politically charged series Maharani, whose third season debuted last month and for which the actor has been receiving plaudits. However, amid the plethora of options available to viewers today, Qureshi acknowledges the challenge of standing out.

When we ask about the difficulty of making a project distinguish itself in the competitive OTT landscape, the 37-year-old responds, “That’s a very marketing related question. I don’t think it comes from a place of honesty. You make a good film or series when you are just trying to make it with the right intention. It will travel. You don’t think about marketing and then make a project around it.”

Despite the creative freedom afforded by OTT platforms, Qureshi acknowledges the responsibility to self-censor content. “I feel OTT has often been blamed for showing too much nudity and foul language. I feel some of it is needed in the script sometimes, for shock value. Sometimes it is zabardasti. Dikhane ki zaroorat nahin hai,” she reasons.

Her portrayal of Rani Bharti in Maharani has particularly resonated with audiences, evident from the show’s success and the renewal for multiple seasons. Qureshi describes Rani’s journey as a classic “hero’s journey”,  highlighting her evolution from naivety to courage amid political turmoil. “She is somebody who was naive in the beginning, she doesn’t know anything about politics, and she is thrust into a position of peers along the way. She meets people and realizes her husband is a bad guy. How she finds inner morality and courage is what has evolved over the different seasons. I am amazed to see the response and respect the show has received,” says the actor.  

Reflecting on her role in the direct to OTT biopic, portraying the late cooking legend Tarla Dalal, Qureshi admits it was her most challenging yet rewarding experience. Mastering the “dialect and portraying the iconic figure with authenticity” were paramount for her, as she “aimed to avoid caricaturing the character”. “I am a hard-core North Indian; Gujarati and Marathi sounds are alien to me. I had to work hard to get the dialect right. ” she ends.