Huma Qureshi: Was told actresses shouldn’t be Miss Know-it-all

ON the surface, Huma Qureshi’s character in Maharani has little in common with her. But the actor identifies with the homemaker-turned-chief minister who has to fight not only the opposition party, but also sexist notions to claim power. After all, the actor too has battled sexism in the movie industry. She recalls, “[Initially], I was told, ‘You can’t be an actress.’ My reaction was, ‘Why not? Now, I only want to be an actress.’ I have also been told, ‘Actresses shouldn’t sound like Miss Know-it-all.’”

Qureshi believes the only way to fight patriarchy is to prove the naysayers wrong. The actor is happy to observe that women are defying gender roles and chasing their dreams. “On the set of Maharani, we had two women working in the camera department, which was viewed as a male bastion. I told them to keep doing it because it was lovely to see them pick up equipment and lug it around. Whenever they tell you that you can’t do something, that’s exactly what you should do. We, as artists, [also] have a responsibility to talk about it. For instance, I often [point out to] journalists when their question has a [gender] bias.”

The issue of gender disparity isn’t restricted to the movies alone. She points out that women have borne the brunt of it for centuries. “Noor Jahan, over the years, has been painted as a woman who didn’t let her husband focus on ruling the country. But in reality, she was the only Mughal queen who was called the Empress of India. But because she had such an important position in the court, she was often maligned.”

Mid-day