Actress Neha Dhupia, in her chat show titled Double Date with Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi, will be seen discussing self-doubt and body image with Huma Qureshi and Saqib Saleem. Huma Qureshi opened up about how constant judgment over her appearance affected her confidence early in her career. She shared that negative comments pushed her into a phase of self-doubt.
Huma Qureshi on being judged for her looks
During a conversation with Neha, Huma said, “After my second film, I started reading a lot of negative comments about my looks and appearance. It really affected me and I became very withdrawn for a while. I think when you are constantly being judged, it starts impacting your confidence. But over time, I realised I had to cut out the noise and focus on myself. I started meditating, writing about my feelings, journaling, and even taking therapy. Slowly, I became more secure about myself and the way I looked. Today, I can laugh at jokes, even crack jokes about myself, and take things in a much more positive way. I feel far more confident and comfortable in my own skin now.”
Neha recalls harsh remark by a casting director
Neha also recalled how a casting director said she looks bad when she smiles and how it impacted her confidence for about nine years. She shared, “You look bad when you smile. You have no power on your face when you smile, so don’t smile. I think that stayed with me for eight or nine years of my life. Imagine hearing something like that even after becoming Miss India. You start believing it somewhere.”
The actress explained that after hearing those words repeatedly in her head, she slowly stopped smiling freely during shoots and public appearances.
Huma Qureshi’s upcoming movies
On the work front, the actress has several films lined up. She is a part of Yash’s Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups. The film, directed by Geetu Mohandas, also stars Tara Sutaria, Nayanthara, Rukmini Vasanth, and Kiara Advani.
She is also a part of her maiden production venture, Baby Do Die Do, in which she plays India’s first “desi female hitwoman.” The actress also stars in Bayaan, a police procedural thriller directed by Bikas Ranjan Mishra, which was screened at several film festivals. She also has Gulabi, a drama directed by Vipul Mehta, where she plays an auto-rickshaw driver in Ahmedabad.