There is nothing called a veg biryani- Cinema express

Huma Qureshi has had a long-standing relationship with food. After her debut in Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), the same year she went on to play a part in Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana, a film in which she, along with actor Kunal Kapoor, is on a quest to find the secret ingredient in the titular dish (spoiler: it’s marijuana). Last year there was Double XL which showed an obese Huma munching in stress. “I have so many amazing people around me who cook incredibly well,” she tells us over a chat. Her father Saleem Qureshi is a restaurateur behind Saleem’s, a popular food joint in Delhi serving Mughlai cuisine since 1977.

For her latest, Tarla, she has donned the chef’s cap to portray Tarla Dalal, the late celebrity cook and Padma Shri awardee. It’s her first biopic. We speak with the actor on finding the perfect glasses for the role, discuss her cooking skills and her thoughts on veg biryani. 

Excerpts:

You look uncannily similar to Tarla Dalal in the film’s trailer. What caught my attention were the dentures, was it tough to shoot while wearing them?

Oh, they were quite uncomfortable (laughs). The dentures would sometimes fall off while I was speaking or would get stuck to my incisors. But they were necessary because her (Tarla’s) teeth were slightly bigger than mine. I needed them in order to get that big, toothy, Tarla smile. I had to go through a transformation in other ways too. There were the saris and the glasses. I remember going through hundreds of pairs to find the glasses Tarla ji would wear and which would also compliment my face.

This is also your first biopic. When you were presented the role, how did you decide to approach it?

I went for it in a very real, granular manner. I wanted people to see my performance and say ‘Oh that’s not Huma, that’s Tarla’. I think when an actor is able to capture that, then doing a biopic becomes fun. The last time I saw somebody catch that essence was Ranveer (Singh) in 83 (he played Kapil Dev in the film, with a similar toothy grin). I guess I want to do more biopics, maybe a sportsperson or a yesteryear actress.

While playing a real-life person, how do you distance yourself from imitating them and ultimately portraying them as a character?

The idea is to not do a caricature but a homage. I didn’t want to mimic Tarla ji. The approach was to empathise with her. I thought about where she comes from, what would be the first thing she thinks of in the morning, what would be her first task of the day, things like that. It’s easier to do an over-the-top portrayal of this Gujarati woman. Sewing in humour is important too but I wanted people to laugh with the character and not at it.

Tarla Dalal demystified some elite cuisines and brought them to middle-class households. She also ‘vegetarianised’ many meat dishes. But there has always been this opinion that not every non-veg dish can have a vegetarian alternative. For example, people still debate over the existence of veg biryani. What is your take on that?

Ok, you have put me into a dharm sankat (dilemma). Should I promote the film or speak the truth? (laughs). See, now, biryani can’t be without meat. I mean call it pulao if it only has tomato, carrots and peas. There is nothing called veg biryani. But what Tarla ji did in her cooking was quite interesting. She took the chicken out of the Murgh Musallam and added batata (potato). It interested my father, who has been a staunch meat chef since the 1970s, so much that he added this Batata Musallam to his restaurant’s (Saleem’s) menu.

Since the film revolves around food and you come from a family that has been in the restaurant business for years, I have to ask this. Does cooking interest you?

I am interested in cooking up a storm (laughs). No, I can’t cook but I am the guinea pig who has to taste everybody else’s recipes.

Still, any cooking skill you caught on while shooting?

I don’t want to flex but I can make a perfect, round roti. It’s like a god-given talent (laughs).

Is there a favourite cuisine?

I am more like a dal chawal, pyaaz and ghee sort of person. I like going to people’s houses and eating home-cooked food. Anything cooked with love, I’ll gobble up. Lately, I have been fancying Thai curries a lot.

Last year was a mix bag for you. There was Double XL which didn’t perform well but you got acclaim for your performances in Monica, O My Darling and the series Maharani. When it comes to career, what mental space are you in?

It was sad when Double XL didn’t do well at the box office, more so because I was attached to the project also as a producer. But I was happy that it received love on OTT along with Monica… I am just having fun, getting to play different characters. So yeah, I guess I am in a good, healthy mind space.