Exclusive! Huma Qureshi: It's a very exciting time to be a female actor in the industry

Huma Qureshi is one of the most versatile performers in the country. From films to web series, the diva has been seen in multiple genres playing a variety of characters. The diva is now gearing for Sony LIV's highly anticipated show Maharani 2 with Sohum Shah.

In a candid chat with OTTplay, the actress shared her excitement about working with the same set of cast and crew again for the upcoming sequel. Huma also shared her thoughts on censorship on OTT platforms as well as her views on female actors are getting accepted and much appreciated as leads in films and shows. Excerpts:

Talking about her character, Huma mentioned that the show is quite character-heavy and Rani evolves throughout the series. "There are a lot of changes, evolution and growth as well as plenty of learnings," she added.

 Talking about the dynamics of Raani and Bheema as husband and wife and political rivals in the upcoming season, the diva explains, "The battle lines were drawn at the end of season 1 when Rani Bharti sends Bheema Bharti to jail for his corruption charges. Meanwhile, Rani is battling with her own challenges being a woman in a man's world and that to politics."

When asked about how she conquered the dialect of her character, the diva replied that it's one of her fortes that she catches certain accents very quickly. "Accent is something I take to very easily. If I talk to someone or if hear a certain type of accent then I'll quickly pick it up."

Ask her if the training during Gangs Of Wssaeypur came in handy, Huma nods with a yes and mentions, "It was my first film and it was a training ground and a lot of people in that movie emerged as the top actors in current time. So, in that sense, I'm very lucky to collaborate with such a great cast and crew."

The Anurag Kashyap directorial also clocks a decade this year, talking about the same Bollywood performer mentioned that her journey from the cult film till now has been full of learning.

Speaking about the people that inspired her character, Huma mentioned that even though Rani is fictional, to prepare for her role she took inspiration, not from one particular leader but from various others and tried to evolve the character throughout the series.

When asked if OTT is a big reason that now the audience and film buffs are accepting females as the lead of a film or a show, the actress replied, " Yes, I think it's a big shift whether it's me or many of my colleague. We are now demanding better characters and roles. We are proving ourselves consistently, whether it's theatrical or OTT that we can also bring in the audience, we can also engage people and we can carry a film on our shoulders and it's a very very exciting time to be a female actor. "

Mentioning Maharani 2 again, Huma shared that she is very very excited and honoured to be a part of this franchise again. Furthermore, she added, "The love that we got in season 1 has given us the courage, motivation and the freedom to give an even better sequel. 

Sharing her thoughts on the censorship on OTT platforms, the diva said that certain guidelines should be there. " For me what is important is that a lot of young kids are watching it and there has to be a certain amount of regulation for sure. I think it's a fine line and the responsible makers should indulge in a healthy form of self-censorship," she added.