Huma Qureshi on ‘Tarla’: ‘Renu Dalal said you remind me of my mother’ (Interview)

New Delhi, Aug 4 A cinematic masterpiece that defies age and inspires women of all stages in life to find their ‘something’, actress Huma Qureshi starrer ‘Tarla’ is a remarkable journey from an ordinary housewife to a visionary.

The biopic based on the life of late celebrity chef and cookbook author, Tarla Dalal, has received positive reviews, and the audience has praised the storytelling.

Huma, who starred in and as Tarla, has revealed the ‘best compliment’ that she has received for her performance in the movie.

“The best compliment I have received was from Tarla Dalal’s daughter- Renu Dalal. Renu told me that ‘Oh my god you really remind me of my mother’. That was a very overwhelming thought for a daughter to say that, really means everything. And the love of course keeps coming from the fans,” Huma told IANS.

Huma said she is happy, and excited to get so much love for the film. “Just really happy with the response ‘Tarla’ is getting, also it’s a totally different character from Monica Machado in ‘Monica, O My Darling’, which I last did, so I think that is getting a lot of appreciation, which is a good feeling.”

Tarla Dalal was a food writer, chef, cookbook author and host of cooking shows. Her first cookbook, ‘The Pleasures of Vegetarian Cooking’, was published in 1974. She also ran the largest Indian food web site, and published a bi-monthly magazine, ‘Cooking & More’. Her cooking shows included ‘The Tarla Dalal Show’ and ‘Cook It Up With Tarla Dalal’. She passed away on November 6, 2013.

Q. Narrating the story of such a legendary person who is not with us anymore, how difficult was the filming process?

A. Huma said: “It is difficult, as you are playing a real life character. I would have loved to meet Tarla ji, but unfortunately it was not written in my destiny. I met her family, children and fans, who still listen to her so fondly and with love. So, I knew the responsibility… I have to play such a legend.”

The 37-year-old actress shared that she wasn’t stressed to play the character, but was excitedly nervous.

“Because I didn’t know how it was going to happen. For me half of my job is also like it involves other people’s conviction. Piyush Gupta, my director, had a lot of faith in me, even on days when I did not have that conviction in myself. So that’s a really nice feeling, to work with people who are backing you,” she said.

Praising her director, Huma said: “I feel like Piyush really backed me on this one. So, I think we both shared that level of stress, responsibility. But we were very sure that if we will do our work properly, then the results would be there for everyone to see. So, we were not focused too much on the outcome of it, we were just focusing on our beats correctly. It was ‘one step at a time’ philosophy for us.”

The film stars Sharib Hashmi as Tarla’s husband Nalin Dalal. The husband-wife equation shown in the movie is really endearing. Talking about the same, Huma said, “I think Sharib is an amazing actor. Everything he does, he brings so much grace and dignity, and authenticity to it.”

“I was so happy that we had him play Nalin. Tarla ji’s husband Nalin also had a beautiful and difficult journey. He brings so much energy. It’s a Tarla’s story, but it is a husband wife relation too, where we both complement and support each other. People told me that they wished to have this kind of relationship with their spouses,” shared Huma.

Nalin passed away in 2005.

She further said that Tarla ji has empowered women, and changed the rules of the game. “The film is a clutter breaker and conversation starter.”

“The movie will remind you of your childhood, and bring a smile on your face,” added Huma.

Produced by Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP Movies and Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Nitesh Tiwari’s Earthsky Pictures, ‘Tarla’ is streaming on ZEE5.

On the work front, Huma will be next seen in ‘Pooja Meri Jaan’.