Huma Qureshi

​After an intense audition that saw her rise from 700 hopefuls, Qureshi was initially set to headline the Tamil gangster‑thriller Billa II, but the film’s delay forced her to walk away and honor other commitments—she later declared, “I have no regrets… I am not someone who sits and laments over things.” In 2012 she burst onto the big screen with Anurag Kashyap’s critically lauded two‑part crime saga Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1, embodying Mohsina, the small‑town, Bollywood‑obsessed wife of Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s outlaw. The Cannes premiere earned her glowing praise: Govind Nihalani likened her earthy intensity to Smita Patil, Taran Adarsh called her “wonderful,” and The Express Tribune noted her distinctive looks. Rediff.com crowned her the highest‑ranked female debutant, placing her third overall on its “Top Ten Debutants” list. She reprised Mohsina in Part 2, which debuted in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight to rave reviews—Madhureeta Mukherjee hailed her as “the hottest cheez in Wasseypur,” and Adarsh deemed her “simply fantastic.” The role netted Best Female Debut and Best Supporting Actress nods at multiple award ceremonies, and Qureshi herself called the saga “life‑changing.” Completing her three‑film pact with Kashyap, she then dazzled as feisty Punjabi Harman in the romantic comedy Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana, a box‑office hit that saw Rediff.com praise her perfect casting and DNA applaud her natural charm, even as Anupama Chopra found the performance “a little bland.” Her meteoric rise continued with a chilling turn as a witch in the supernatural thriller Ek Thi Daayan, proving her box office mettle and earning critical accolades for her "remarkably pleasant and confident screen presence." Qureshi then commanded the prestigious 60th National Film Awards ceremony alongside R. Madhavan, a testament to her growing influence. She followed this by delivering a powerfully acclaimed performance as the titular character in Anurag Kashyap's short film Sujata, earning a Special Mention Award. Transitioning to the gritty underworld drama D-Day, she fearlessly embodied R.A.W. agent Zoya Rehman, critics lauding her "effortlessly appealing and effective" portrayal. The black comedy Dedh Ishqiya solidified her status, with Qureshi dazzling as the companion to a con woman, her "fiercely intelligent eyes" and "brilliant and confident" energy earning rave reviews. Her captivating presence extended to music videos, notably Rochak Kohli's "Mitti Di Khusboo," where her chemistry with Ayushmann Khurrana ignited "raw flavor." In Badlapur, she delivered a "hauntingly good" performance as a call-girl, securing a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress nomination and marking her Marathi cinema debut in Highway. Qureshi fearlessly explored diverse roles in the anthology film X: Past Is Present and made her Malayalam debut in White, tackling dual roles. She then captivated audiences in the courtroom comedy-drama Jolly LLB 2 and graced the historical drama Viceroy's House, before returning to horror with Dobaara: See Your Evil. Her global impact was undeniable with a starring role opposite Rajinikanth in the Tamil blockbuster Kaala. Adding another feather to her cap, Qureshi took on the judging mantle for the reality competition India's Best Dramebaaz, showcasing her multifaceted talent. From 2019 onward, Qureshi exploded onto the global stage, anchoring Netflix’s dystopian flagship Leila as the eponymous heroine—an effort helmed by Deepa Mehta, Shanker Raman and Pawan Kumar that debuted on 14 June 2019 to rave critics, with The Quint’s Hiba Beg hailing her “raw presence” as the most authentic on‑screen force. Two years later she commanded the web‑series Maharani, embodying Rani Bharti and clinching the Filmfare OTT Critics Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series, before leaping into Hollywood with Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead. Not content to rest, she returned to Indian television to host Zee Cafe’s high‑octane reality show Fit Fab Feast, while also sharing screen space with Akshay Kumar in Bell Bottom and starring in her second Tamil venture Valimai. 2022 saw her headline the gritty remake Mithya, take lead roles in the films Monica, O My Darling and Double XL, and sign on to portray culinary legend Tarla Dalal in the biopic Tarla—produced by Ronnie Screwvala, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Nitesh Tiwari, directed by Piyush Gupta, and released on ZEE5 on 7 July 2023. That same year she reprised the beloved Pushpa Pandey Mishra in Jolly LLB 3, and in 2026 she vanished into the shadows as a deaf‑mute assassin in Baby Do Die Do, with her next bold chapter already announced: a lead role in Geetu Mohandas’s forthcoming thriller Toxic.