Huma Qureshi

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, [Huma] is different from the typical Bollywood actors".

Huma Saleem Qureshi (born 28 July 1986) is an Indian actress, model and producer who primarily appears in Hindi language films.

She has received several awards such as one Filmfare OTT Award, one Stardust Award along with 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.

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.

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.

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".

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, marking 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 Filmfare Award for 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.

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".

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's career progressed with roles in the anthological Shorts (2013), the black comedy Dedh Ishqiya (2014), the revenge drama Badlapur (2015) and the Marathi road drama Highway (2015).

Qureshi's later appeared in films like Jolly LLB 2 (2017) and Dobaara: See Your Evil (2017).

Qureshi made her web series debut with the 2019 dystopian drama Leila and was praised for her portrayal in the SonyLIV's 2021 web series Maharani.

After appearing in the Tamil film Valimai (2022), she received high praise for her portrayal in the crime thriller Monica, O My Darling, the same year.