North vs South cinema debate great for clickbait, but there's no reality to it: Huma Qureshi

New Delhi, Feb 4 (PTI) – Actor Huma Qureshi has called for unity in the Indian film industry, rejecting the ongoing North vs. South cinema debate as "petty" and counterproductive. Instead, she believes the focus should be on creating Indian versions of globally successful franchises such as Avatar, Squid Game, and Money Heist.

Speaking at the recently concluded Kerala Literature Festival (KLF), Qureshi emphasized that India has a singular film industry, and those with an understanding of creativity and market economics would see the mutual benefits for artists across the country.

“It is such a silly debate; we are one country. A film like ‘Drishyam’ is loved nationwide. We need to discover storytellers from across India. Rather than debating which industry dominates, we should be asking—where is India’s ‘Squid Game’? Where is our ‘Money Heist’? Why can’t we create our own ‘Avatar’?” Qureshi stated.

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According to the Maharani star, the industry should come together to tackle these questions instead of engaging in divisive conversations, which she dismissed as “great for clickbait but lacking any real substance.”

Cross-Pollination of Artists is Not New​

Having worked in Tamil films like Kaala (2018) alongside Rajinikanth, Valimai (2022) with Ajith, and the Malayalam romantic drama White (2016) with Mammootty, Qureshi stressed that actors moving between different regional industries is not a novel phenomenon.

“I have been fortunate to work in South Indian films, and I hope to do more. You learn so much from every new experience,” she added.

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Huma Qureshi: From Actor to Author​

Last year, Qureshi made her debut as an author with Zeba: An Accidental Superhero, a fantasy fiction novel. She admitted that the decision to write a book felt "brave", and she was initially nervous about its reception.

“As an actor, you often get misquoted, or statements are taken out of context for clickbait. But here, I was willingly putting my thoughts into a book. It was daunting, and I had the usual author anxiety before publication,” she confessed.

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Set in the fictional kingdom of Khudir, Zeba follows the journey of an accidental superhero who must save her world from the villainous Great Khan.

Qureshi, an avid reader since childhood, shared how her literary preferences evolved—from Enid Blyton’s Famous Five and Malory Towers to Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, and now, a growing interest in autobiographies and self-help books.

“Fantasy fiction allows you to imagine a better world than the one you are living in,” she explained when asked why she chose the genre for her first novel.

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Upcoming Projects​

Qureshi is currently shooting for the fourth season of Maharani. Fans can also look forward to her roles in Delhi Crime Season 3 and Jolly LLB 3.

With her vision for a united Indian film industry and her foray into writing, Qureshi continues to push creative boundaries across different platforms.