‘Rani Bharti’ keeps cards close to her heart: Huma Qureshi

Actress Huma Qureshi, who is getting a lot of positive response to the recently released third season of her hit streaming show “Maharani”, has shed light on different layers of her titular character in the show.  In the third season, Huma’s lead character of Rani Bharti, who was framed and sentenced to jail term following the killing of her husband, makes a comeback as she takes her political opponents head-on after an attempt is made to take her kids’ lives.  The actress recently spoke with IANS about her changing trajectory of her character in the new season, her past association with filmmaker Vasan Bala on the streaming movie “Monica, O My Darling” and what makes “Maharani” a compelling watch.

Talking about her character in the show, the actress told IANS: “Rani Bharti is a character who keeps the cards close to her heart. She is aware of the conspiracies that are being hatched to bring her down. But she always rises like a phoenix without compromising her integrity.”

Although the show presents a fictional narrative, it does takes inspiration from the real life incidents and the politics of Bihar, when the then Chief Minister of the state, Lalu Prasad Yadav made his homemaker wife, Rabri Devi his successor. The actress feels that the story, the direction, the performances and her character of Rani Bharti have struck a chord with both men and women. The actress said: “The fact that she is propelled to take on the political might and she does so with dignity and intellect even though many of her adversaries underestimate her ability for being an illiterate woman, is something that the audience have enjoyed watching.”

Moving on to the subject of Vasan Bala and “Monica, O My Darling,” Huma said that she has worked with Vasan in the cult-classic “Gangs of Wasseypur.” At the time, Vasan worked with auteur Anurag Kashyap as his assistant. In fact, he makes an appearance in the song “Bhoos” when Manoj Bajpayee and Jameel Khan’s characters are planning an escape from the prison by carrying out arson.

Walking down the memory lane, Huma told IANS: “I keep getting so much love for Monica (her character in ‘Monica, O My Darling’) . It is never-ending. What audiences love about me I think is that I can play both Monica and Maharani with ease. Vasan is amazing, I think, I’ve known him since “Gangs of Wasseypur” and it’s wonderful now to be directed by him and I keep hoping to work with him again and again because I think the way he is, the way he looks at the world and his way of storytelling is so unique and so distinct.” Sharing about the relationship and dynamics between her character and the others in ‘Maharani’, she said: “There are some who are good and some who have evil intentions. Everyone is trying to work things in their favour. It’s a fictional show which depicts politics and what comes with the territory.” The show is available to stream on SonyLIV.

Meanwhile, on the occasion of Women’s Day, it was announced that actress Huma will be seen playing a female auto rickshaw driver in a yet-untitled film directed by Vipul Mehta. The untitled drama unfolds the true story of an auto rickshaw driver, a woman of iron will and vision. It pays homage to the courage of ordinary women doing extraordinary things. Huma said: “To depict a character with such indomitable spirit is a rare and cherished opportunity. It’s particularly poignant that we announce this project on Women’s Day — a day that celebrates the power and dignity of women.” Vishal Rana, the driving force behind Echelon Productions, said: “We are eagerly anticipating a fruitful collaboration with the immensely talented Huma Qureshi. As we prepare to commence filming soon, we feel privileged to have her on board.”Jio Studios Presents, an Echelon Productions Film, directed by Vipul Mehta, produced by Jyoti Deshpande and Vishal Rana.

Indo-Asian News Service