Enough being recused by knight in shining armour: Huma on women's portrayal in films

Actor Huma Qureshi says it was liberating to headline a female-driven project with "Leila" as it is about time the trope of women being rescued by men on screen is done away with.

The actor features in the latest Netflix series "Leila", which follows her character Shalini in search of her daughter Leila whom she lost one tragic summer.

Shalini deals with various hardships in the course of her search, in a story of longing, faith and loss.

The actor wonders if Shalini was not a woman and was a man instead, would the representation on screen change.

"I don't know. That's the question you've to constantly keep asking... But for me, it was absolutely enriching. I think it's enough now, how long will you be rescued by the knight in shining armour? At what point can you start being the superhero in your own life?"
In an interview with PTI, the actor says there is inequality and repression of women "but where are our role models?"
"Where are people who look and talk like us but are yet (not represented cinematically)? We don't have enough of those. Hence, as an actor, as a woman it was liberating."
"You are greedy as an actor and the greed is endless. You want to work with different people and learn from their experiences, you want to be a better actor and a better version of yourself. That's also what resonated with me."
"That feeling of being raw, of not being afraid, not knowing what your angles are, what looks good on you and all of that. It really felt like that."