Gangs of Wasseypur my most special film: Huma Qureshi
Sneha Mahadevan
Seven years after Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur released, the film has made it to The Guardian’s list of 100 Best Films of the 21st century. In fact, it is the only Hindi film to make the cut. The action drama bagged the 59th position and Huma Qureshi who made her debut with the film is ecstatic. Excerpts from an interview:
How do you feel about Gangs of Wasseypur making it to this list? It feels amazing. Brokeback Mountain (2005) and No Country For Old Men (2007) (also part of the list) are two epic films, but to see my debut film be part of such a power list is great. Who would have thought this would happen? Gangs of Wasseypur was not just a project, it was a film that was made with a lot of passion. Every actor, crew member and technician was so inspired working on it and gave their best to it. So, the fact that this film continues to have a strong fan base even, gives me a feeling of immense pride. Everyone’s hard work has paid off.
What are your most treasured memories from the shoot?
Till date, it is the most special film of my career. I have a lot of memories associated with it and will never be thankful enough to Anurag sir (Kashyap, director) and everyone in the team, who supported me and loved me. It’s so heartening to see that so many actors started their journey with the film are now doing so well. That film surely changed lives. What are your thoughts on mainstream Indian films making waves internationally?
Indian cinema has always gotten a lot of love globally. Even when I’m abroad, I get asked a lot of times about our films and our music.
I’m always happy to share our legacy of films and music with all my new friends. The other day, Dave Bautista (the American actor) told me that he would love to come to India and do an Indian film and I said why not! Many international stars have done roles and even cameos in our films. I showed him a YouTube link of Sylvester Stallone in Kambakkht Ishq and joked that he would need Hindi lessons. Now, there is more awareness about our cinema, and hence, our audience base is also increasing dramatically.