Huma Qureshi to Star in the Biopic of Tarla Dalal, Talks about Changes in Food Choices After Starting Her Acting Career

Playing the role of popular chef and cookbook author, Tarla Dalal, Huma Qureshi reveals her relationship with food and changes in it after becoming an actress.

Written by: Arjita Gupta

Edited by: Krutarth Ghosalkar

Last Updated: July 06, 2023

Huma Qureshi has played a variety of Bollywood roles convincingly since making her Hindi cinema debut in Anurag Kashyap's critically acclaimed two-part crime drama Gangs of Wasseypur in a supporting role. For background, have a look at her most recent films. In Maharani, she played a housewife who becomes a politician. In Double XL, she played a plus-size woman dealing with fat shame. It was quite in discussion in Bollywood news. And in Monica, O My Darling, a neo-noir thriller of the criminal comedy genre by Vasan Bala, she played a femme fatale.

In Tarla, the actor will be seen portraying Tarla Dalal, the beloved food writer, cookbook author, chef, and host of cooking shows, who is known as the "queen of the kitchen”, as per Bollywood news. Huma discusses her transformation in her relationship with food, her newfound understanding of body image, and her ten years of successful acting in Bollywood. I informed them "casting galat hai" (that is the wrong casting) when they first offered me the movie. She was a Gujarati woman, I have never been to Gujarat or Maharashtra and am much taller than her.

I moved to Mumbai ten or eleven years ago. Then, after speaking with Nitesh (Tiwari) sir, Ashwiny (Iyer) ma'am, and the director Piyush (Gupta), I understood that the goal was to capture Tarla ji's essence rather than imitating her. She confidently stated to Bollywood news that they have attempted to do just that, and I hope we have succeeded—if not completely—then at least come near. I was attempting a biopic for the first time, presenting its own difficulties, but I really enjoyed getting my teeth into it.

Only eating interests, me; cooking never has. Since my mom is an incredible cook and my dad owns a restaurant, I believe that entertaining and feeding people naturally come to me. But I believe that food is such a unifying force, whether it is my father's cooking or Tarla ji's cooking, said the Bollywood actress. There is something so lovely about sharing a meal with someone, and it really does bring people together. Consequently, even if I do not cook, I truly like to share my meals.

The connection with food has evolved since moving to Mumbai and pursuing an acting career and Bollywood news exemplifies that with several stories on celebrities. In Tarla, I had to portray characters from the ages of 20 to 50, so during the scenes where I am in my 20s, I had to actually shrink and drop a lot of weight. If I am shooting Double XL, however, I will likely gain weight. I had to look significantly bigger for the role of a 50-year-old lady because as you get older, your body changes. It makes me very happy to see you able to do it.

That is my try, and I am happy that it is working when I see myself on TV. In that regard, food is now quite practical. Huma told Bollywood News - I have had a demanding or long day, or if I have done something excellent, I do try to treat myself. I have also weaned myself off of a lot of unneeded items in my life, including sweets. I am in a stage of life right now when I want to feed and care for my body. And since I work as an actress, I may have to gain or lose weight in order to play a certain part.

But I make an effort to do it with as much awareness as I can. I make an effort to view eating, nutrition, and exercise as ways to care for rather than punish my body. I desire to eat wholesome meals. It is necessary for the human body to sweat things out, so I want to move my body for an hour every day. This might be through exercise, the gym, dance, Pilates, yoga, or anything else. It is crucial to look after your mental health, she stated to Bollywood News.

These are the things I started practicing and believing in. Because of Instagram, Bollywood news, and other media, I believe that people are currently focusing more on how to appear a certain way than on how to heal, nourish, strengthen, and move with agility. I am actually enthusiastic about this right now. It has not been an easy voyage; it has been a long road. The simple solution is to stereotype someone, put them in a box, and put yourself in a box as well.

When I was doing Maharani the actress continued to Bollywood news, I recall getting offers for three to four films and shows for the "ek aur Bihari character," but declining because I wanted to attempt something new. However, letting others know what you're looking for takes time. I never felt rushed. Every time I go outside to make a movie, I feel like I want to look, act, and live like someone else because that's what I'm eager to do as an artist.