Huma Qureshi recently impressed both fans and critics with her performance in Piyush Gupta's latest biographical drama, Tarla, based on the life of the late famous chef Tarla Dalal.
In her recent interview, the actor opened up about her debut Bollywood film, Gangs of Wasseypur, helmed by Anurag Kashyap. Huma shared how she had "no clue" how she was playing the female lead in the film and that she was paid only Rs 75,000 for the role.
In her conversation with Barkha Dutt's Mojo Story, Huma shared, "I got my first brush with success pretty early on. Maybe it was just this enthusiasm for getting out of the house and being (an actor) and then Gangs of Wasseypur happened. By 2010, I moved to Mumbai, and by 2012, the film was out, and it became a big hit in India. My world just exploded. This was a film where they paid me some Rs 75,000; that’s it. I am working with them (Viacom 18) now; they are my producers. But that was my first film, and it wasn’t a fancy affair. There were no five-star hotels, cushioning of vanity vans, or an army of people following you. It was like a bunch of people who went to Varanasi for three months, shot, and came back. Nobody had any clue what was happening. So when it came out, I was like, ‘Whoa! I am the lead in the film. My face is on the hoarding! Should I have gotten paid more for it? Is this how movies get made?'"
Huma further shared that Gangs of Wasseypur was a "special experience" for her and that the film really changed her life. The actor added that she didn’t know "what was happening" when the film hit theatres or how it became a huge hit.
"Because for me, coming to Mumbai, meeting people, doing auditions, getting a film happened rather quickly, and I didn’t have a game plan after that. I was lost in choice. I was always working; that was never a problem, but I was lost in myself. Like finding my own voice, finding myself, who I was, what kind of films I like to do, what I didn’t like to do.
"I was insecure about everything–about myself and how I looked at the work that was happening. Maybe insecure about why am I not doing the films others are doing. I didn’t have anyone to talk to. I had a younger brother in the film business who was also figuring his way out. There was a shoulder to cry on, but really no one to help you navigate that situation. But I never thought of giving up," she added.
Gangs of Wasseypur also starred Manoj Bajpayee and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the lead roles. The film soon became a cult-classic and was released in two parts.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)