Huma Qureshi: They complimented me for doing it with conviction

Huma Qureshi

Food holds a special place in Huma Qureshi's life. The actor's family runs Saleem's, a Mughlai restaurant chain in Delhi and Dubai. For the past six weeks, food has dominated her on-screen life too as she shot for Tarla, the biopic on the late Gujarati home chef, Tarla Dalal. Before Qureshi wrapped up the shoot late last week, Dalal's children Renu and Sanjay Dalal visited the actor on the set in Mumbai.

(From left) Sanjay Dalal, Huma Qureshi and Renu Dalal with director Piyush Gupta

The duo, having seen snatches of the Piyush Gupta-directed venture, were impressed by the actor's rendition of the chef-cookbook author. Getting the nod of the Dalal kids was a big validation for Qureshi. She says, "The character has touched my soul deeply. The one thing I will remember the most from the shoot is when Tarlaji's children, who are now grandparents themselves, visited me on the set. They got emotional on seeing [parts of the film], and complimented me for doing the role with conviction. It was a surreal moment."

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The biopic, backed by Ronnie Screwvala, Nitesh and Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, will trace the journey of Dalal who started cooking classes from her home in 1966. When they became immensely popular, it led to her first cookbook, The Pleasures of Vegetarian Cooking in 1974. Her cookbooks were a rage as she introduced various cuisines while adapting it for the Indian palate. Qureshi, in the process of bringing this extraordinary journey on screen, has developed a close bond with Sanjay and Renu. She says that they have imbibed their late mother's culinary skills. "They used to send food for me on the set. I must say their cheese platter was out of this world," she laughs.

Tarla Dalal

In the movie, Qureshi will be seen sporting buck teeth and glasses to resemble Tarla. She has watched hours of footage to pick up the famed cook's accent and mannerisms. To the actor, capturing Tarla's personality was of utmost importance. "As artistes, the endeavour is to capture the vibe and charisma of the person. Little nuances like how she conducted herself and how she spoke on camera had to be woven into the performance."