Huma Saleem Qureshi (pronounced [ˈɦʊmaː səˈliːm qʊˈɾɛːʃiː]; born 28 July 1986) is an Indian actress who primarily appears in Hindi-language films.

During the shoot for a Samsung mobile commercial, Anurag Kashyap noticed her acting ability and signed her for a three-film deal with his company, marking her film debut with a supporting role in the two-part 2012 crime drama Gangs of Wasseypur.

[1] After appearing in the American film Army of the Dead (2021) and in the Tamil action thriller Valimai (2022), she received praise for her performance in the crime comedy Monica, O My Darling (2022).

[12][13] During a shoot for a Samsung Mobile commercial, director Anurag Kashyap was impressed with her acting ability and promised to use her in a film.

[6] Qureshi was initially scheduled to make her film debut with Billa II, a Tamil gangster-thriller, directed and produced by Chakri Toleti, after surviving an audition out of 700 candidates.

Although cast as the female lead, when the film was delayed, Qureshi left the project to honour other work commitments.

[14] Qureshi made her feature film debut with a supporting role in Anurag Kashyap's critically acclaimed two-part crime drama Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 (2012), where Qureshi was cast as the supportive wife of a criminal (played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui).

She described her character as a small-town airhead who thinks she is the prettiest girl in the village: "Mohsina tries to copy everything she sees on the big screen in her own little ways.

[19] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama noted: "Huma Qureshi, who's introduced much later in the film...is wonderful".

Madhureeta Mukherjee of The Times of India said: "Huma Qureshi, with her gaudy clothes, designer sun-glasses and unusual attractiveness is the hottest cheez in Wasseypur.

She beautifully lends support as a powerful man's 'prouder' better-half, even in his worst crimes",[23] and Taran Adarsh found her "simply fantastic".

Directed by Sameer Sharma, she played the role of a feisty Punjabi girl, Harman (star Kunal Kapoor's love interest).

The film was a financial success, and Rediff.com noted that "Huma Qureshi looks right for the role and she delivers a wonderful performance".

[26] Aniruddha Guha of the Daily News and Analysis said: "[Qureshi], on the other hand, is charming as the fiery Punjaban, Harman.

[27][28] For her next feature, Qureshi was cast as a witch in the supernatural thriller Ek Thi Daayan (2013), alongside Emraan Hashmi, Konkona Sen Sharma and Kalki Koechlin.

Dealing with the themes of witchcraft, the film was based on 'Mobius Trips', a short story written by Konkona Sen Sharma's father.

"[43][44] Qureshi's last appearance of 2014 was Rochak Kohli's music video "Mitti Di Khusboo" with Ayushmann Khurrana.

India Today noted: "The chemistry the two Ayushmann and Huma share onscreen has the raw flavor of the countryside romance".

[45] The following year, Qureshi appeared as a prostitute in Sriram Raghavan's crime thriller Badlapur, alongside Varun Dhawan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

[53][54][55] Qureshi's first release of 2017 was the courtroom comedy drama Jolly LLB 2, where she appeared alongside Akshay Kumar.

[58] She then appeared along with her brother Saqib Saleem in Prawaal Raman's horror film Dobaara: See Your Evil (2017), a remake of Mike Flanagan's Hollywood flick Oculus (2013).

[62] Directed by Deepa Mehta, Shanker Raman and Pawan Kumar, the series premiered on 14 June 2019 to mostly positive review from critics with particular praise for Qureshi's performance.