Success of ‘Maharani’ gave me opportunities to shoulder films: Huma Qureshi

critical acclaim for her OTT show “Maharani” has opened doors to interesting work opportunities for Huma Qureshi, who believes she can now heline a project.

Known for movies such as “Gangs of Wasseypur”, “D-Day”, “Dedh Ishqiya” and “Blapur”, actor said her work in digital space has led her to some "cool" characters.

"I am doing a bunch of stuff on OTT and films, which are strong and well-etched characters. Because of success of ‘Maharani’, I am getting so many opportunities to shoulder films, which is really cool, fun, and exciting,” 36-year-old actor told PTI in a virtual interview.

Her upcoming slate of feature films includes a biopic on noted food writer and chef Tarla Dalal; Dinesh Vijan's production “Pooja Meri Jaan”; slice-of-life comedy “Double XL” with Sonakshi Sinha; and Vasan Bala-directed “Monica "Oh My Darling” on Netflix.

"It is a mix of both films and OTT. In films, re is a remarkable change and a lot of great roles are being written for women. And it is happening on OTT as well. re is an influx of great content," Qureshi said.

With projects such as “Maharani” and “Tarla”, Qureshi said aim is to celebrate success stories of women from different fields.

actor said she found story of Dalal, known for hosting popular cookery TV shows “Cook It Up With Tarla Dalal” and penning more than 100 cookbooks, quite "fascinating".

"We often think of kitchen as a place of subjugation for women and that this is your place, but how a woman (Dalal) back in day, cooked her way out in national and international scene for me is fascinating.

"She became a role model for so many people. She was like any or ordinary woman next door and was not a glamour doll. She was her own person and stayed true to who she was. And that resonated with me,” said Qureshi.

In SonyLIV series "Maharani", actor essays role of Rani Bharti, a village woman who is handpicked to become chief minister of Bihar.

Through character, Qureshi said, idea is to speak about women's empowerment.

"Rani is a feminist without even realising that she is one. She even hasn’t heard word feminist and this is true for so many women in India. y are very strong women, who have achieved so much, without understanding role y are playing in larger scheme of things.” Qureshi said Rani is a "classic underdog" character and people will relate to her experiences.

" simplicity with which she talks about her experiences finds resonance with people. In show, she says she became a woman CM in a room full of men who are running government, without realising that she is talking about better representation of women in government and in public life. That is strength and beauty of Rani Bharti. She is a classic underdog that everyone relates to,” she ded.

Season two of “Maharani”, directed by Ravindra Gautam, will see Rani Bharti set to reign and bring fair ministration to citizens of her state.

Even before release of sophomore season, actor said more chapters of “Maharani” have been planned.

"With season two, we know re will be season three, possibly season four or five. idea is that we are here for long haul. ‘Maharani’ is a Test series, it is not a T20 match,” Qureshi ded.

Also starring Sohum Shah, Amit Sial, Vineet Kumar, Inaamulhaq, Kani Kasturi, Anuja Sa, Pramod Pathak, and Neha Chouhan, “Maharani 2” will stream on SonyLIV from August 25. 

Image: Instagram/@iamhumaq