Huma Qureshi had come to Mumbai to work in only one film.
Delhi’s Huma Qureshi spent months convincing her family to let her pursue acting as a career. When she arrived in Mumbai, she had neither a godfather nor a film launch. Living in a small PG with four other girls, Huma started by doing advertisements. She appeared in commercials alongside stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan.
Then, a meeting on the set of a mobile ad changed her life. Anurag Kashyap gave her a chance in ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’. The film was a hit, but Huma’s struggle did not end there. Amidst body shaming, rejections, trolling, and link-up rumors, she carved an identity for herself through diverse roles.
In today’s success story, here are the key highlights from Huma Qureshi’s life and career.
She was bright in studies; her passion for acting later became her career.
Huma Qureshi was born on July 28, 1986, in Delhi. Her father, Saleem Qureshi, is involved in the restaurant business. Huma pursued a degree in History Honours from Gargi College, Delhi. During her college days, she remained active in drama, debates, and theatre alongside her studies. She also became the president of the drama society.
During her theatre days, NK Sharma became her mentor. In an interview with The Indian Express, Huma mentioned that it was NK Sharma who first recognized her potential to become an actor. She worked in plays like ‘The American Pilot’. According to Huma, she felt the true passion for acting during her time in theatre.
The journey from medical studies to Mumbai
Huma’s family believed that she was good at studies and would pursue an academic career. Huma had shared that her father was initially not convinced about her decision to pursue acting. It took her about six to eight months to convince her parents.
Before coming to Mumbai, she got an audition for a film. She was selected for the film, but the project could never be made. From this experience, Huma realized that she wanted to work in films. After this, she decided to move to Mumbai.
She lived in a small PG with four girls in Mumbai
After reaching Mumbai, Huma did not live a luxurious life. She lived in a small PG in Juhu with four other girls. Each girl had her own bed and a cabinet. There were daily fights over using the bathroom as well.
In an interview given to Filmfare, Huma mentioned that she used to go out for auditions carrying a bag. It contained a salwar-kameez, a white shirt, a black dress, and a tiffin. Many times, she was rejected without even being spoken to properly. In the initial phase, she used to travel between Dadar and Juhu by taxi and auto-rickshaw. To save money, she often walked as well.
When she got her first advertisement, she received only 5 thousand rupees
It was taking time for her dream of acting in films to come true, so Huma started with advertisements. Her first advertisement was for a mobile company. In it, she played a journalist interviewing Abhishek Bachchan. She received only 5,000 rupees for this.
After this, Huma did advertisements with many big stars, including Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan. These advertisements were what would eventually pave the way for her film career.
Meeting Anurag Kashyap during an Aamir Khan ad
Huma worked with Aamir Khan in a mobile advertisement. Its shooting lasted for four days in Panchgani. The director of that advertisement was Anurag Kashyap. Huma shared an interesting anecdote about this meeting. She mentioned that by then, she had already done about ten advertisements and had started considering herself a ‘veteran’ in this field.
She had a lot of makeup on set. Anurag asked, ‘What is this?’ to which Huma unhesitatingly said that it was her first ad, even though she had already done ten ads. The very next day, Anurag told her that he would cast her in his film. Huma couldn’t believe it, but Anurag kept his promise.
Got Gangs of Wasseypur, but received only 65 thousand rupees
Huma made her Bollywood debut in 2012 with Gangs of Wasseypur. In the film, she played the role of Mohsina, the wife of Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s character. At the time of shooting, she had no idea that her role would become so significant. In an interview, Huma revealed that she received only 65,000 rupees for the film. She said that the shooting was not like a big-star film-no five-star hotels, no vanity van frills. The team went to Varanasi, shot for months, and returned. When the film was released, Huma saw her face on the hoardings.
The film was a hit, but the real struggle came after that
Gangs of Wasseypur gave Huma recognition. But after the success, she did not immediately become the heroine of films featuring big stars. In an interview with Barkha Dutt, Huma said that after her first few films, she started feeling insecure about herself. She could not figure out in which direction to move forward.
‘Billa 2’ was offered first, but the film journey got stalled
Before Gangs of Wasseypur, Huma got the opportunity to work with Ajit Kumar in the Tamil film Billa 2. She secured this role after auditions of about 700 candidates. However, due to delays in the film and other commitments, Huma had to leave the project.
‘Body shaming’ shook her self-confidence
One of the toughest battles in Huma’s career has been the criticism regarding her weight and looks. Huma shared that a review once stated she is a good actress, but she is five kilos overweight to be a mainstream actress. Later, for the film ‘Double XL’, she gained about 20 kilos. Huma said that this film was like therapy for her.
On the ‘Double Date’ show in 2026, she also mentioned the trolling she faced early in her career. She explained that the constant negative comments affected her self-confidence. She became quite reserved for some time.
She also had to endure rumors of a link-up with Anurag Kashyap
After Gangs of Wasseypur, rumors began regarding the friendship between Huma and Anurag Kashyap. There were constant reports in the media about their relationship. In an interview with India Today in 2013, Huma dismissed these reports, stating that she would not let the rumors affect her work or her relationships with those who had trusted her. A year later, Anurag Kashyap also stated that Huma was being targeted by these rumors and that it was impacting her image.
Another rumor – Engagement with the director of ‘Dedh Ishqiya’
In 2014, a rumor circulated on social media about Huma that she had gotten engaged to ‘Dedh Ishqiya’ director Abhishek Chaubey. Huma dismissed this, saying that such rumors undermine the hard work of an outsider.
From ‘Dedh Ishqiya’ to ‘Badlapur’, she kept choosing different roles
Huma did not limit herself to the image of a traditional glamorous heroine. She played diverse characters in films like ‘Dedh Ishqiya’, ‘Badlapur’, ‘Jolly LLB 2’, and ‘Monica, O My Darling’. This became her career strategy-choosing a new character in every film instead of repeating herself. Huma says that for her, every film is like a fresh start. She does not like to repeat the same type of roles.
OTT gave a new turn to her career
Along with films, Huma turned towards OTT. In 2019, her character in the web series ‘Leila’ was much discussed, but the 2021 series ‘Maharani’ gave her career a new turn. The character of Rani Bharti became one of Huma’s most talked-about roles to date. Huma portrayed the gradual transformation of a simple woman into a powerful figure in the politics of power very effectively.
This was the period when she began to be seen not just as a film actress, but as an artist who could play strong characters across different mediums.
Rani Bharti of ‘Maharani’ became a life-changing role
Huma described Rani Bharti as the role in her career that changed her life. In this character, she portrayed a woman who gradually strengthens herself amidst the struggles of politics, power, and personal life. Following this, she made her presence felt on OTT and international screens with projects like ‘Mithya’ and ‘Army of the Dead’.
Spoke on trolling – It is important to keep working
Huma spoke openly about trolling in a recent interview. She said that she no longer lets the negativity of social media affect her. In a conversation with Lucknow Times, she responded regarding her looks and her confidence in the face of trolling.
Now a producer along with an actor
Huma is no longer limited to just acting. In ‘Baby Do Die Do’, she took on the responsibility of production along with acting. The film was released on July 3, 2026. The girl who once considered getting a single film her greatest achievement has now taken steps towards creating stories of her own choice.
‘Toxic’ shows a new phase of her career
Huma’s recent releases also include ‘Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-ups’. This Yash-starrer film was released in theaters on August 26, 2026. The film is directed by Geetu Mohandas. Along with Yash, it features Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Tara Sutaria, Rukmini Vasanth, and Huma Qureshi in pivotal roles
