The Huma Qureshi interview: Playing Rani Bharti has been the biggest honour of my life

From herself. Because from the beginning, we have introduced her as someone who is not educated, who is very devoted to her husband, and her family, but at the same time, she is also someone who has a very strong sense of right and wrong. This is also the central idea of Bhagwat Gita — what would you choose, dharma or your family if they are in the wrong? Because she is such a devout woman, such a traditionalist, she draws from it and does the right thing. If she did not send Bheema Bharti to jail, she would actually be causing him more harm.

I just got out of the way. I stopped being Huma. I let the idea that was on paper permeate through me. Sometimes as an actor, I may know a language, have some information, or speak a certain way but when you’re playing a character, you have to remain true to that person’s vocabulary, worldview, and understanding. Toh kabhi kabhi jo aapko pata hota hai, wo thoda bhulane ki zaroorat hoti hai. That’s what I did.

Rani gave me so much. She’s such a thriving, full-fledged, three-dimensional character. She’s so much more than anything that I have played before. So I was very excited and I fully submitted. Whether it was working in the fields or just lifting my sari and tucking it in, it just felt organic. It didn’t feel like acting. I felt like I was that person. There was no other way.

As far as the language was concerned, we had about 10 days of workshop for Season 1 in which we read the whole script multiple times. Whether it’s Subhash Kapoor or Nandan Singh, they are all such a lovely bunch of creative people and they have such a good understanding of not just Bihar politics but also the culture, the way the language is spoken, the phrases, the terminology. I drew a lot from their experiences, the way they had written the dialogues, and the way they spoke them. They really helped Rani get into my DNA. I could not have done it without these guys and of course my directors — Karan Sharma (Season 1) and Ravindra Gautam for this season. I know I get all the praise for it but I could not have done it without all these wonderful people who have toiled really hard to make Maharani what it is today.

It was an honor and a delight. I have been supremely excited to play Rani Bharti. Of course, it was tough. Everything was tough about Maharani — the locations, the weather. We were shooting in peak winter in both seasons. We had to wake up at 4 in the morning, we would chatter our teeth away in the cold, and drive on bumpy roads for about 1.5 hours to the locations. Then I would have five pages of dialogue that I had to remember and say with intention and acting, intonation, and all of that.

It was challenging, it was tough but it was also very rewarding. The moment I would say the lines as Rani, something would change inside me, my body would just start to respond differently. I think I’m an OK actor. The only thing I give to my characters is I try and internalize them and make them as real as possible. For me acting is all in the eyes. So I just tried to internalize Rani as much as I could.

Playing Rani has been the biggest honor of my life because she has helped me become a stronger person. She has taught me so many things. She has been so well loved because everybody who has seen the series feels like she belongs to them or they identify with her in some way. In season 1, we have seen her make those mistakes and figure out each step of the way; we all have been there at some point.

Sohum is a lovely actor and a lovely person. He was just shy in the beginning. You know how people have different personalities, and I could sense that. I knew he was hungry and he really wanted to do his best. I believe that if there is a good, chilled-out atmosphere on set, everyone does their best work.

Nobody can predict if the series would be successful or not, the only thing in our control is that we create a good working environment, so whenever we meet next, we can be like, “Arrey! Kitna mazza aaya tha saath me kaam kar ke” and talk about how nice it was.

Whether it’s Sohum, Amit Sial, or the other actors, everyone is phenomenal and hardworking. Especially in Season 2, everyone was so charged. It’s like everybody wanted to bring in their A-game to every scene. It is so inspiring to work with a bunch of actors who are so hungry and eager to do their best work because it propels you to do your best work as well.

I had a lovely time working with Sohum. In this season, you will see him in a very different avatar. The battle lines are anyway drawn between the husband and wife. So you will see Bheema Bharti in a newer light. Even Naveen (played by Sial) and all the other actors have done a wonderful job. There are four or five new actors who have joined Maharani this season. You will discover them and how good they are. Some of them come in very late but they leave such an impact on the story and they take it forward in such a beautiful way, we’ve been really blessed with all the actors that we have.

Very, very eventful, mazzedaar, masaaledaar, full of ups and downs. But I feel like I’m just getting started. If somebody had told me 10 years ago that I’d have done the things that I have and would be doing all that I am doing right now in my tenth year, I’d have been like, ae chal na, what rubbish. But sometimes, life has better plans for you than you have for yourself and in my case, that has certainly been true. I don’t think I deserve all the love that keeps coming my way but I just hope and pray it never stops and is always there.

Don’t box yourself. I have done everything from indie projects to big blockbusters to international projects to pan-India films to series to short films. I don’t think I have stopped myself from doing anything. I’m a bit of a rebel, maybe it comes from there. The only rule I have for myself is to not allow either my own thought process or anyone else to box me because I feel that is the death of any artist.

They are all very different from each other. That’s my only mandate post-COVID-19. Now I want to do characters and films that are totally different from each other. Like a Rani Bharti will not sound or look like a Tarla or Tarla is not the same girl from Double XL or Double XL’s character has nothing in common with Pooja Meri Jaan. Every single time, I want to surprise myself and my audience. Honestly, I’m just having fun and not thinking much about anything else.