skirt. Saloni
shoes. Gianvito Rossi
The Indian actress, producer and author on returning to Cannes for the Red Sea Film Festival Women in Cinema dinner, channeling true-crime trauma into ‘Bayaan’, and why she refuses to be put in a box.
There is a particular kind of poise that comes from having stood on the Croisette before anyone knew your name. Huma Qureshi has it. When ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ world-premiered at Cannes in 2012, it was a sprawling two-part Anurag Kashyap epic that announced a new register for Indian cinema on the international stage. Qureshi was a young theatre actress from Delhi watching herself on the big screen for the first time, in front of a global audience. Fourteen years and four trips to the festival later, she is here again: producer, author, leading lady of Zack Snyder’s ‘Army of the Dead’, executive producer of ‘Bayaan’ – the only Indian film selected in TIFF 2025’s Discovery section – and one of the most fluent travellers between the Hindi mainstream, regional pan-Indian spectacle, and the international independent circuit currently working anywhere.
She is in Cannes this May for the Red Sea Film Festival’s Women in Cinema dinner, an evening that gathered actors, directors, and industry women from across the Arab world, India, and Hollywood, and that, by her account, felt less like a red carpet than a particularly well-dressed gathering of allies. ‘Bayaan’, her gritty police procedural directed by Bikas Ranjan Mishra and based on real events involving a whistleblower exposing an alleged abuser in a position of spiritual authority, has just been confirmed for its European premiere at SXSW London. Her next project, Geetu Mohandas’s ‘Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups’, headlined by Yash, shot simultaneously in Kannada and English at a reported budget approaching the largest in Indian cinema history, releases globally in 2026. Her first novel, ‘Zeba: An Accidental Superhero’, sits on shelves. She produces women-led films under Saleem Siblings, the banner she runs with her brother Saqib Saleem.
What follows is a conversation about coming home to a festival, about carrying a story rooted in real women’s trauma, about Parisian style mantras, and about the specific freedom of refusing to be a good girl.
skirt. Saloni
shoes. Gianvito Rossi
You first came to Cannes with ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ in 2012. This is your fourth time here. What does this place mean to you now, at this point in your career?
It’s like homecoming. It always feels magical and surreal, and the experience is very different each time. The first ones are special: the first time I saw myself on the big screen was right here, and the reaction of a global audience to a film from India was so heartwarming. It almost felt like, when people look beyond language, ethnicity, colour, we’re all just artists telling human stories that resonate no matter which culture you come from. That, for me, is what Cannes stands for: that melting pot, celebrating cinema at its finest.
You’re here this time for the Red Sea Film Festival’s Women in Cinema dinner. From the inside, what does an evening like that actually feel like: celebratory, or also a bit of work?
A bit of both, honestly. I love championing women. Everything I’ve achieved in my life has been because I stand on the shoulders of other women before me, who paved the way. So today I have to be there to lend my voice and support, because I’m in that position to do that for my contemporaries and for myself. The more women celebrate each other, the healthier the marketplace, the healthier the industry. It was a beautiful evening: an actor like me from India, people from Hollywood, the Arab world, everyone interacting freely, openly exchanging ideas, building networks. That was quite magical.
Let’s talk about ‘Bayaan’. It was the only Indian film selected in TIFF’s Discovery section last year, and you also produced it. What made you fight for this story?
The script itself. When I heard it, I thought it was magical. The film had been part of the Hubert Bals Grant, and Craig Mazin had creatively helped mentor it. So when the director came to me, I knew this was a fantastic story: very culture-specific, but something that would resonate with people all over the world. And that’s exactly what happened. We had such a special welcome at TIFF, and less than fifteen days later, we were in Busan. It’s phenomenal to see a film with such a large heart travelling globally and getting that heartwarming reaction. I knew I had to executive produce it because I had to lend my muscle behind it; they were having trouble raising finance, and I felt that if I came on board, I could help them plan better.
The film is rooted in real events involving a whistleblower exposing a guru accused of abuse. How do you carry a story like that, rooted in actual women’s trauma, without it becoming a burden?
With a lot of empathy. A lot of responsibility. A lot of understanding that the #MeToo movement, or whistleblowing in any form, when it comes to women and sexual abuse, is so relevant to all of us. You could be in France, in India, in Korea; it doesn’t matter. Whenever there are people in positions of power, they use that power to suppress women and children first, and these systems get built that take that systemic violence forward. Playing a character like that has been the biggest joy of my life, and also very difficult, because you put yourself in that situation and you realise: of course, we are making a movie about this, but this is the reality for so many women across the world right now. Perhaps if I make films that shine a light on issues like that, it will lead to some social change. And if not, at least as an artist, I will feel like I’ve done my bit.
You consistently choose roles that put women at the centre and are morally serious and complex. Is that a conscious manifesto, or does it just keep you near the interesting work?
I hate to be put in a box. I started in Delhi theatre, then became a movie actor in the Hindi film industry. I’ve done big Indian blockbusters, small independent films, streaming projects on Netflix, international films with Gurinder Chadha, Deepa Mehta and Zack Snyder. The biggest challenge, and the biggest joy, is to do things people don’t think I can do. People are always ready to put you in a box and tell you what you’re limited to, what you deserve, what you can or can’t do. I hate that. Whenever someone tells me I shouldn’t be doing something, I lean in. I like to take risks, I like to experiment, and I like to have fun and look glamorous while I’m doing it.
Tell me about ‘Toxic’.
‘Toxic’ is India’s biggest film being made right now. A spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime experience. Phenomenal cast, and a very, very strong female director in Geetu Mohandas, who has been an absolute joy to work with. Such a sense of people genuinely trying to create visual imagery and storytelling that resonates not only in India but across the world. There are really big plans for a global release. I can’t say much about it yet, but I can’t wait to get together with the rest of the cast. Yash is headlining: a phenomenal superstar, but more than that, a visionary in how he plans and executes, both as an actor and as a producer, choosing what to put his muscle behind. Watching him work up close has been so inspiring and enriching. ‘Toxic’ has the biggest ambition in the best possible way.
You’re considered a genuine style authority. You attend the fashion weeks, but your aesthetic feels distinctly your own rather than trend-led. Where does that confidence in your own taste come from?
It takes a while to discover who you are. You have to try everything and decide: no, this is not for me. When you’re starting out, you tend to chase trends, which is unhealthy; you’re not leaning into who you are. Today, my personal style is just effortless. It depends on what I’m feeling, on the occasion. I don’t dress for the clothes; the clothes have to work for me. That’s an important distinction. And the biggest style mantra is: whenever in doubt, wear black.
I’ve also learned a lot from Parisian women over the years. They make everything look so effortless and so chic, almost like nothing matters. A white shirt and jeans, a little red lipstick, and you look amazing. It doesn’t come from wearing branded or luxury clothes; it comes from an innate sense of self-worth. If you can put on a white shirt and feel confident, it reflects in your aura, your personality and how you carry yourself.
Is there a designer or a piece you’ve worn that genuinely shifted how you view fashion?
So many, over the years. Tom Ford is timeless. I’m a huge fan of clean, clear aesthetics, minimalism and less is more. Giorgio Armani. Many designers are my favourites right now, but I always come back to the timeless pieces; I find more value there. I love a lot of Indian designers, the way they handcraft garments with hours of embroidery and detail, in a world of fast fashion, is so rare. I prefer investing in bags, jewellery and clothes I can keep for years.
And vintage is having a real moment.
I still have so much of my mother’s jewellery. She’s been making jewellery for herself for years, and she keeps gifting it to me. Some of that craftsmanship doesn’t even exist anymore. To inherit something and pass it on is a value that cannot be replicated by buying the latest piece on the runway.
What would you want a young Indian woman watching your work, or watching you, to take away from your career?
Have fun. Lean into who you are. Don’t listen to anyone. Be bold, be unapologetic, be sexy. And don’t fall into the trap of being a good girl. There’s so much burden on young women to always be the good girl, to keep the peace. It’s nice to be a bit brash once in a while. It’s nice to break some rules, because the women who break rules end up making history.
‘Bayaan’ has its European premiere at SXSW London. ‘Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups’ releases globally in 2026.
photography + words. Maria Biardzka
