Huma Qureshi Shares Casting Director’s Shocking Ageism Question: 'Why Are You...'

Actress Huma Qureshi has opened up about a disturbing conversation she had with a casting director who advised her to stop taking on mature roles.

Huma Qureshi questioned why women are expected to play younger roles.

Source : Instagram/@iamhumaq

New Delhi: Famous for her daring and unorthodox performances, actor Huma Qureshi has spoken out against the age bias that exists in Bollywood. The 'Maharani' and 'Tarla' actress shared an astonishing story from her recent experience with a casting director during her speech at the India Today Indo-UAE Conclave.

Huma Qureshi shared, "After the success of Maharani and Tarla, which has got me immense love, one casting director called me and said, 'You are such a beautiful woman. Why are you ageing yourself by playing these characters? There are so many other makers who want to work. Try to do younger parts."

Huma raised the issue of gender bias in the sector by questioning, "I am like, why does this burden of playing younger parts always fall on girls? Why are we expected to try to look younger than who I am? I have done my fair share of singing and dancing around the trees, but if a great script comes my way, I should say no to it because I am afraid of portraying someone a few years older than me."

Huma Qureshi Challenges Industry Norms

The actress went on to say that in a field that is so focused on looks, it's crucial to own one's story. “The problem is either I can do multiple cosmetic surgeries and sit at home and wait for certain filmmakers to call me, or I can go and work with those makers who are making all these interesting scripts, and they want to work with me. This has been a huge shift when you start taking control of your own life choices and narratives,” she said.

Regarding her career, Huma has a full schedule and is continuing her successful run. She will co-star with Saurabh Shukla, Amrita Rao, Arshad Warsi, and Akshay Kumar in 'Jolly LLB 3'.