Huma Qureshi gets Rs 65,000 in 'Gangs of Wasseypur', endured body shaming, trolling; She had to struggle even after the hit

Delhi's Huma Qureshi spent months convincing her family to make acting a career. When she reached Mumbai, there was no godfather, no film launch. Huma, who auditioned with four girls in a small PG, started with advertisements. She did advertisements with 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 was not over. Amid rumors of body shaming, rejection, trolling and linkup, she made her mark with different characters. Huma Qureshi was born on July 28, 1986 in Delhi. Her father Salim Qureshi is associated with the restaurant business. Huma did her History Honors from Gargi College in Delhi. During her college days, she was active in drama, debate and theater along with her studies. She also became the president of the Drama Society. During the theater, NK Sharma became her mentor. In an interview with The Indian Express, Huma said that NK Sharma was the first to recognize her potential to become an actress. She acted in plays like 'The American Pilot'. According to Huma, the true passion for acting was felt by her during the theatre itself. The journey from studying to becoming a doctor to Mumbai made Huma's family feel that she was good at studies and would pursue an academic career further. Huma said that her father was initially not convinced about her decision to act. It took her about 6 to 8 months to convince her parents. Before coming to Mumbai, she got an audition for a film. She was selected for films, but the project never materialized. From this experience, Huma realized that she wanted to work in films. After this, she decided to move to Mumbai. Huma used to live in a small PG with four girls in Mumbai. After reaching Mumbai, Huma did not live a luxurious life. She used to live in a small PG with four other girls in Juhu. Each girl had her own bed and a cabinet. There were also fights every day over the use of the bathroom. In an interview with Filmfare, Huma said that she used to leave with a bag for the audition. It consisted of a salwar-kameez, white shirt, black dress and tiffin. Often she was rejected without proper communication. In the early days, she used to travel between Dadar and Juhu by taxi and auto rickshaw. She used to walk often to save money. When the first advertisement was received, it was only 5,000 rupees. It was taking time to fulfill the dream of the film, so Huma started with advertisements. Her first advertisement was for a mobile company. In this, she became a journalist interviewing Abhishek Bachchan. For this, she got only Rs 5,000. After this, Huma made advertisements with many big stars including Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan. These advertisements were to open the way for her film career. Meet Anurag Kashyap in Aamir Khan's Ad Huma worked with Aamir Khan in a mobile advertisement. Her shooting lasted for four days in Panchgani. The director of that advertisement was Anurag Kashyap. Huma narrated an interesting incident of this interview. She said that she had done about 10 advertisements at that time and started considering herself a 'veteran' in this regard. She had done a lot of makeup on the set. Anurag asked, 'What is this?' to which Huma said without hesitation that this is her first ad, when she had done 10 ads. The very next day, Anurag told her that he would cast her in his film. Huma did not believe it, but Anurag kept his promise. Gangs of Wasseypur was found, but got only Rs 65,000 In 2012, Huma made her Bollywood debut 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 be so important. In an interview, Huma said that she got only Rs 65,000 for the film. She said that shooting was not like a film with a big star – no five star hotel, no vanity van. The team went to Varanasi, shot for months and came back. When the film was released, Huma saw that her face was on the hoarding. The film was a hit, but after this came the real struggle Gangs of Wasseypur introduced Huma. But after the success, she could not become the heroine of films with big stars. In an interview with Barkha Dutt, Huma said that after the first few films, she started feeling insecure about herself. She did not know in which direction to go. Before 'Billa 2', Huma got a chance to work with Ajith Kumar in the Tamil film Billa 2. She got the role after auditioning for about 700 candidates. But the film was delayed and Huma left the project due to other commitments. 'Body Shaming' also shaken her confidence One of the toughest battles of Huma's career was the criticism over weight and looks. Huma said that in a review, it was written that she is a good actress, but she has gained five kilos to become a mainstream actress. Later, for the film 'Double XL', she gained about 20 kgs. Huma said that this film was like therapy for her. She also mentioned the trolling of her early career on a double date show in 2026. She said that the constant negative comments affected her confidence. She was very reserved for a while. She also had to endure the rumors of a linkup with Anurag Kashyap After Gangs of Wasseypur, rumors started about Huma and Anurag Kashyap's friendship. There were constant reports in the media about the relationship between the two. In an interview with India Today in 2013, Huma denied the rumors and said that she would not allow the rumors to affect her work and relationships with those who trusted her. A year later, Anurag Kashyap also said that Huma is being targeted in these rumours and it is having an impact on her image. Another rumour- Engagement with the director of 'Dedh Ishqiya' In 2014, rumours were circulating on social media about Huma that she was engaged to 'Dedh Ishqiya' director Abhishek Chaubey. Huma denied this, saying that such rumours undermine the hard work of an outsider. From 'Dedh Ishqiya' to 'Badlapur', Huma did not limit herself to the image of a traditional glamorous heroine while opting for different roles. From 'Dedh Ishqiya' to 'Badlapur', 'Jolly LLB 2' and films like 'Monika, Oh My Darling', she played different characters. This became the strategy of her career - choosing a new character instead of repeating herself in every film. Huma says that for her, every film is like a restart. She doesn't like to repeat the same kind of role. OTT gave a new twist to her career With films, Huma turned to OTT. Her character in the web series 'Laila' in 2019 was in the limelight, but 2021's 'Maharani' gave a new twist to her career. The character of Rani Bharti became one of the most talked about characters of Huma so far. Huma played the role of an ordinary woman in the politics of power very effectively. This was the period when she started being seen as an actor who could play strong characters in different mediums as well, rather than just an actress in films. Huma Bharti, the life-changing character who became Rani Bharti in 'Maharani', described Rani Bharti as the role of Rani Bharti that changed her life. In this role, she played the role of a woman who gradually strengthens herself amidst the struggles of politics, power and personal life. After that, she also made her presence felt on OTT and international screens with projects like 'Mithya' and 'Army of the Dead'. On trolling, Huma spoke openly about trolling in a recent interview. She said that now she does not let the negativity of social media dominate her. In a conversation with Lucknow Times, she answered about her looks and her confidence in trolling. Now as well as an actor as well as a producer, Huma is no longer limited to acting. In Baby Do Die Do, she took charge of acting as well as production. The film was released on July 3, 2026. The girl who once considered getting a film to be the biggest achievement has now moved on to making stories of her choice. A new phase of her career appeared in 'Toxic' Humani's recent releases include 'Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups'. The Yash starrer was released in theatres on August 26, 2026. The film is directed by Geetu Mohandas. It also stars Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Tara Sutaria, Rukmini Vasant and Huma Qureshi in pivotal roles.