Women's Day: I didn't want to fit in. I wanted to stand out, says Huma Qureshi

Actor Huma Qureshi says she has worked really hard for what she has achieved in Bollywood. She admits that many people tried to dent her confidence — referring to body-shaming that came her way — but Huma eventually learnt to not get bogged down easily.

“When I came to Mumbai, I was clear in my head that I didn’t want to fit in; I wanted to stand out. I have a lot of sense of pride in the person I am and what I do and where I come from. My family gives me a lot of love and support. So I don’t feel that I need to get bullied by anyone,” says the 30-year-old.

Did the mean body shaming comments affect her at any point of time? “Yes, those words did break me. I have cried myself to sleep. I have been upset about it, sobbed about it and sulked about it. But then I realised there was no point in all that. You have to get up and fix it. And it’s not rocket science. It’s just clothes. Anybody with a fine bank balance and a good stylist can crack it,” says the actor, who hails from Delhi.

It’s a cut throat business and people are just ready to rip you apart. You wear the wrong kind of stilettos and you can get trolled for it too. Forget body shaming; that’s another aspect altogether

She modestly accepts that she didn’t know the nuances of fashion when she first came to the industry, but worked hard on her style and the change is evident. “I find this whole concept of fashion police really unnecessary and not required. I’ve learnt from my mistakes. I have worked really hard on my fashion sense and it’s not something that naturally comes to you or somebody teaches you on how to walk the red carpet. I had no clue of how to wear particular outfits or what to match with what shoes. It’s a cut throat business and people are ready to rip you apart. You wear the wrong kind of stilettos and you can get trolled for that too. Forget body shaming; that’s another aspect altogether.”

Huma adds that all this while she has remained true to her identity. “I have always been self-confident in myself as a person and that’s also is reflective. I have never tried to be somebody else. As an actor, I thank everyone for all the compliments. I know that my appearances in the recent past have been hugely appreciated and I keep hearing these lovely things with people calling me fashion forward, and I take it with a lot of humility because I’ve worked hard on it.”