HUMA QURESHI, who has given remarkable performances in Gangs of Wasseypur, Badlapur and Jolly llB 2, is enjoying her debut on TV as a mentor on India's Best Dramebaaz Season 3. She talks to MUSBA HASHMI about her experience on the show and how she was bitten by the acting bug
It is the first time you are working on a reality show. What made you say yesij
I was eager to do TV because of the larger reach and connectivity it has with fans. I always wondered what kind of a show would I be a part of. Would it be an action-packed or a dance-based show. So when India’s Best Dramebaaz came along, it was a perfect fit. There were so many cute kids on the show and I wanted to connect with them. When I signed this show, everybody asked me ‘aap ko bachchey pasand hai naij’ and I replied ‘I love kids. I would rather be in the company of kids than adults.’
What kind of a rapport do you share with the other two mentorsij
Vivek Oberoi and Omung Kumar are amazing. Vivek, the senior most, as he is there on the show since its inception, comes to our rescue whenever we get stuck. Omung and I are new to the show but he has a great energy. I always thought of him as a serious filmmaker but through this show we are getting to see a goofy side of him.
What is the most challenging thing about mentoring such a big showij
To give constructive criticism to the children. Sometimes we become very critical in handling things but with kids, we have to be more careful because it is about their dreams and aspirations. We have to give them good and honest feedback so that they can use it in their life and understand where they have to improve themselves. We have to find out ways to say it to them in a way which encourages them rather than discourage them.
What is your criteria for judgingij
I judge the contestants on the basis of the entertainment factor and the hard work they put in. We are not critical in judging their performance and we rate them with Hit, Super Hit and Super Duper Hit. You start from that place because I feel no one has grown in life after being critically judged.
What is that one thing you have learnt from the children on this showij
I have learnt patience, hard work, commitment and not take yourself too seriously.
Was there an ‘acting ka keeda’ in you as well when you were a kidij
I had that keeda in me since my childhood days. Main bachpan se acting karna chahti thi and after completing my college, I joined a theatre group. I am blessed that I got to learn this art from lots of people and got a lot of positive influence in my life. My first teacher was NK Sharma. All the directors and co-stars that I have worked with have also helped me become the actor that I am today.
Which movie is close to you and whyij
Actually none of them. I am not like any of the roles that I had played in my life. Through this show, people will get to know me what I am like.
What challenges did you faceij
Everyone goes through a struggle period in their lives. Being an outsider, I didn’t know how Mumbai worked. I never went to a film set before I started acting and I never faced a camera before. I wish somebody had assisted me or I had just born in Mumbai but I have no regrets I have done quite well for myself.
One change that you would like to see in the entertainment industryij
People should become more organised that would allow actors to get sufficient time to go through the scripts and prepare for their role. This would increase productivity. Also, there should be better working hours for everyone.
What does success means to youij
I don’t judge my success on the basis of the money that I have but purely on the basis of the excellence that I can achieve in and through my work.