Huma Saleem Qureshi ( born 28 July 1986) is an Indian actress, model and producer who primarily appears in Hindi language films. She has also received three Filmfare Award nominations. Qureshi obtained a bachelor’s degree in History—with honours—from the University of Delhi, while she worked as a theatre actor and model. After working in several theatrical productions, she moved to Mumbai and signed a two-year contract with Hindustan Unilever to appear in television commercials. During the shoot for a Samsung mobile commercial, Anurag Kashyap noticed her acting ability and signed her for a three-film deal with his company.
Qureshi made her film debut with a supporting role in the two-part 2012 crime drama Gangs of Wasseypur. Her performance in the film earned her several nominations, including the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut and the Best Supporting Actress. That same year, she played the lead female role in the romance Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana, and followed it with a role in Ek Thi Daayan.
She portrayed protagonists in the anthological Shorts (2013), protagonist in the black comedy Dedh Ishqiya (2014), and supporting roles in the revenge drama Badlapur (2015) and the Marathi road drama Highway (2015). Qureshi’s later roles included in films like Jolly LLB 2 (2017) and Dobaara: See Your Evil (2017). She made her web series debut with the 2019 dystopian drama Leila. Huma was praised for portrayal of the character of Rani Bharti in SonyLiv web series Maharani.
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Early life and Education
Qureshi was born on 28 July 1986 into a Muslim family in New Delhi, India. Her father, Saleem Qureshi, is a restaurateur who runs a chain of 10 restaurants (Saleem’s); her mother, Ameena Qureshi (a Kashmiri), is a housewife. She has three brothers, including actor Saqib Saleem. The family relocated to Kalkaji, South Delhi, when Qureshi was a child. She completed her bachelor’s in History with Honours from the Gargi College—University of Delhi. Later, she joined Act 1 theatre group and performed in a few theatre productions. N. K Sharma was her mentor and acting teacher during her theatre days. She has worked with several NGOs and assisted a documentary filmmaker.
Personal life
She has been in relationship with Indian Director and writer Mudassar Aziz.
Huma Qureshi Height Weight Age Bra Size Affairs Family Biography
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Huma Saleem Qureshi |
| Profession | Actor |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height | in centimeters– 165 cm in meters– 1.65 m in feet & inches– 5′ 4¾” |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Career | |
| Debut | TV: Upanishad Ganga (2012) as Pundalik’s wife Nati Hussaini Film, Hindi: Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 (2012) Film, Malayalam: White (2016) Film, Hollywood: Viceroy’s House (2017) Film, Tamil: Kaala (2018) Web-Series: Leila (2019) |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 28 July 1986 (Monday) |
| Age (as in 2023) | 37 Years |
| Birthplace | New Delhi |
| Zodiac sign | Leo |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | New Delhi |
| College/University | Gargi College, New Delhi |
| Educational Qualification | Graduation in History Honours |
| Religion | Islam |
| Food Habit | Non-Vegetarian |
| Hobbies | Playing Basketball, Reading Autobiographies, and Travelling |
| Controversies | • In 2014, she was in news for her link-up rumours with Anurag Kashyap. At that time, Anurag was married to Kalki Koechlin, and the couple was going through a rough phase in their married life. Reportedly, Huma was blamed for breaking their marriage. • In 2016, she was in a rumoured love affair with the actor Sohail Khan. As per the sources, Salman Khan was upset with Huma for creating differences in his brother’s married life. |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Affairs/Boyfriends | • Manoj Tanwar (2007) • Ibrahim Ansari, Businessman from Nehru Place (2008) • Arjan Bajwa, Actor (Rumoured, 2012) • Shahid Kapoor, Actor (Rumoured, 2013) • Anurag Kashyap, Director (Rumoured, 2014) • Sohail Khan, Actor (Rumoured, 2016) • Abhishek Chaubey, Director (Rumoured) • Mudassar Aziz, Director (2019- Present) |
| Family | |
| Parents | Father– Saleem Qureshi (Restaurateur) Mother– Ameena Qureshi |
| Siblings | Brother(s)– 3 • Naeem Qureshi (Elder, Businessman) • Haseen Qureshi (Elder, Businessman) • Saqib Saleem (Younger, Actor) |
| Favourite Things | |
| Food | Shaami Kebabs, Biryani, Sushi, Galauti, and Malai Tikkas |
| Actor(s) | Ranbir Kapoor, Shah Rukh Khan, and Salman Khan |
| Film(s) | Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Om Shanti Om (2007), Titanic (1997), and Blue Valentine (2010) |
| Perfume | Daisy by Marc Jacobs |
| Style Quotient | |
| Car Collection | Mercedes-Benz GLE SUV Land Rover |
Acting Career
Television advertisements
In 2008, she moved to Mumbai to audition for film roles, auditioning for a film, Junction, which was never made: “I never thought of coming to Mumbai or being an actress. But when my friend called me for an audition for a movie called Junction, it set me thinking. Sadly, the film never got made”. Qureshi signed a two-year contract with Hindustan Unilever to appear in their television commercials. She promoted a range of products, including Samsung Mobile (with Aamir Khan), Nerolac (with Shah Rukh Khan), Vita Marie, Saffola oil, Mederma cream and Pears soap. During a shoot for a Samsung Mobile commercial, director Anurag Kashyap was impressed with her acting ability and promised to use her in a film. Qureshi recalled: “I didn’t believe him then. You hear lots of such stories in this industry, so I wasn’t waiting with bated breath”. Kashyap kept his promise, though, signing her for a three-film deal with his company Anurag Kashyap Films.
Film debut and breakthrough
Qureshi was initially scheduled to make her film debut with Billa II, a Tamil gangster-thriller, directed and produced by Chakri Toleti, after surviving an audition out of 700 candidates. Although cast as the female lead, when the film was delayed, Qureshi left the project to honour other work commitments. When asked whether she had any regrets, she said: “I have no regrets. I wish it had worked out, but it didn’t. I am not someone who sits and laments over things. I was approached for several other south films too, but the roles weren’t what I was looking for”.
Qureshi made her feature film debut with a supporting role in Anurag Kashyap’s critically acclaimed two-part crime drama Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 (2012), where Qureshi was cast as the supportive wife of a criminal (played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui). She described her character as a small-town airhead who thinks she is the prettiest girl in the village: “Mohsina tries to copy everything she sees on the big screen in her own little ways. She is heavily influenced by Bollywood”. The film premiered at the 65th Cannes Film Festival, and both the film and Qureshi received positive reviews from critics. Govind Nihalani noted her screen presence, comparing the actress to Smita Patil: “an earthiness, sincerity, intensity and warmth of personality, qualities that distinguished Smita, apart from the fact that she was a very fine and instinctive actress. Huma is a good enough actress on her own, someone who can stand apart from the crowd and hold her own”. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama noted: “Huma Qureshi, who’s introduced much later in the film…is wonderful”. The Express Tribune added: “When it comes to looks, is different from the typical Bollywood actors”. In 2012, Qureshi was ranked third, the highest female position, on Rediff.com’s annual list of “Bollywood’s Top Ten Debutants” (male and female). Following the success of the first part, she reprised her role of Mohsina in the second instalment of the Gangs of Wasseypur series, Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 2. The film premiered in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival with its prequel. It opened to wide critical acclaim, and her portrayal again received positive reviews. Madhureeta Mukherjee of The Times of India said: “Huma Qureshi, with her gaudy clothes, designer sun-glasses and unusual attractiveness is the hottest cheez in Wasseypur. She beautifully lends support as a powerful man’s ‘prouder’ better-half, even in his worst crimes”, and Taran Adarsh found her “simply fantastic”. Both films earned her Best Female Debut and Best Supporting Actress nominations at several award ceremonies (including the Filmfare Award). Qureshi described Gangs of Wasseypur as a “life-changing film”.
That same year, Qureshi completed her three-film contract with Anurag Kashyap Films by starring in Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana, a romantic comedy, which describes a quest for an ancient family dish; Chicken Khurana. Directed by Sameer Sharma, she played the role of a feisty Punjabi girl, Harman (star Kunal Kapoor’s love interest). The film was a financial success, and Rediff.com noted that “Huma Qureshi looks right for the role and she delivers a wonderful performance”. Aniruddha Guha of the Daily News and Analysis said: “on the other hand, is charming as the fiery Punjaban, Harman. Her refreshingly natural acting style impresses again in a role that has shades of her character in Gangs of Wasseypur”. However, Anupama Chopra found her performance to be “a little bland”.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 | Mohsina | |
| Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 2 | |||
| 2012 | Trishna | Herself | Special appearance in song “Maintenance” |
| 2012 | Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana | Harman | |
| 2013 | Ek Thi Daayan | Tamara | |
| 2013 | Shorts | Sujata | Appeared in segment “Sujata” |
| 2013 | D-Day | Zoya Rehman | |
| 2014 | Dedh Ishqiya | Muniya | |
| 2015 | Badlapur | Jhimli | |
| 2015 | Highway | Mahalakshmi | Marathi film |
| 2015 | X: Past Is Present | Veena | Appeared in segment “Knot” |
| 2016 | White | Roshni Menon | Malayalam film |
| 2017 | Ek Dopahar | Raina | Short film |
| 2017 | Jolly LLB 2 | Pushpa Pandey | |
| 2017 | Viceroy’s House | Aalia | English film |
| 2017 | Dobaara: See Your Evil | Natasha Merchant | |
| 2018 | Kaala | Zareena | Tamil film |
| 2020 | Ghoomketu | Herself | Cameo appearance |
| 2021 | Army of the Dead | Geeta | American film |
| 2021 | Bell Bottom | Adeela Rehman | |
| 2022 | Valimai | Sophia | Tamil film |
| 2022 | Gangubai Kathiawadi | Dilruba | Special appearance in song “Shikayat” |
| 2022 | Double XL | Rajshri Trivedi | |
| 2022 | Monica, O My Darling | Monica Machado | Netflix Original |
| 2023 | Tarla | Tarla Dalal | Completed |
| TBA | Pooja Meri Jaan | TBA | Completed |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Upanishad Ganga | Pundalik’s wife Nati Hussaini | Television series |
| 2018 | India’s Best Dramebaaz | Judge | Reality show |
| 2019 | Leila | Shalini | Web series |
| 2021–Present | Maharani | Rani Bharti | Web series |
| 2021 | Fit Fab Feast | Host | TV show |
| 2022 | Mithya | Juhi Adhikari | Web series |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Singer(s) | Composer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Mitti Di Khushboo | Ayushmann Khurrana | Rochak Kohli |
| 2016 | Tumhe Dillagi | Rahat Fateh Ali Khan | Rahat Fateh Ali Khan |