Latest news with #Indo-UAEConclave
Hindustan Times
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Huma Qureshi says casting agent told her to 'do younger parts' after Maharani, Tarla: ‘You are such a beautiful woman'
Actor Huma Qureshi has diverse projects added to her filmography, with projects such as Maharani and Tarla shining bright. But the actor has revealed getting a phone call from a casting agent discouraging her to take on such mature roles, and made a request that left her stunned. Also read: Babil Khan feels hurt by paparazzi after 'weird' video with Huma Qureshi surfaces online. Watch Huma shared her views during a session at a conclave. She was speaking at 'The Maharani of Reinvention: Breaking Stereotypes, Empowering Women' session at India Today's Indo-UAE Conclave. Huma said, 'After the success of Maharani and Tarla, which has got me immense love, one casting director called me and said, 'You are such a beautiful woman. Why are you ageing yourself by playing these characters? There are so many other makers who want to work. Try to do younger parts.' I am like, 'Why does this burden of playing younger parts always fall on girls? Why are we expected to try to look younger than who I am? I have done my fair share of singing and dancing around the trees, but if a great script comes my way, I should say no to it because I am afraid of portraying someone a few years older than me'. The actor added, 'The problem is either I can do multiple cosmetic surgeries and sit at home and wait for certain filmmakers to call me, or I can go and work with those makers who are making all these interesting scripts, and they want to work with me. This has been a huge shift when you start taking control of your own life choices and narratives". Huma will be next seen in Subhash Kapoor's Jolly LLB 3. The movie also features Akshay Kumar, Arshad Warsi, Amrita Rao and Saurabh Shukla in pivotal characters. The actor will soon be back with the fourth season of her OTT show Maharani, in which she is seen in the role of a politician, Rani Bharati. The first season premiered on SonyLIV in 2021, with the second season released in 2022. The third season was released on SonyLIV on March 7, 2024. The release date of the fourth season is not out yet. Maharani has been created by Subhash Kapoor and is directed by Saurabh Bhave. It also stars Amit Sial, Vineet Kumar, Pramod Pathak, Kani Kusruti, Anuja Sathe, Sushil Pandey, Dibyendu Bhattacharya and Sohum Shah.
India Today
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Huma Qureshi opens up on ageism, gatekeeping in Bollywood
Actor Huma Qureshi got candid about the persistent barriers outsiders, especially women, continue to face in Bollywood. During her session titled 'The Maharani of Reinvention: Breaking Stereotypes, Empowering Women' at India Today's Indo-UAE Conclave on May 15, the actor explained how she chose to work on her terms and speaking about the silent but systematic gatekeeping that shapes which stories are told and who gets to be in the spotlight, the actor said, 'There is always been a gatekeeping of sorts, and it does not come from one particular person or agency. I think it's a very collective kind of gatekeeping.."advertisement"What kind of stories should be toldWho deserves to be represented, or who deserves that spotlight? My journey as a woman and an outsider in the business is not very easy. Till date, there are rooms I don't have access to. There are so many parts that I could do, but those guys don't call me. So, what do I do? Do I sit at home and cry and think Mujhe mauka nahi mila' (I did not get a chance), so I am gonna lament," she added. In an industry where age and appearance often overshadow talent, Qureshi opened up about the harsh expectations of the industry women have to deal with. Recalling a recent conversation with a casting director who advised her to 'stop ageing herself' by playing mature roles, the actor shared a thought-provoking perspective on the pressure to look the success of 'Maharani' and 'Tarla', which has got me immense love, one casting director called me and said, 'You are such a beautiful woman. Why are you ageing yourself by playing these characters? There are so many other makers who want to work. Try to do younger parts.' I am like 'Why does this burden of playing younger parts always fall on girls? Why are we expected to try and look younger to who I am? I have done my fair share of singing and dancing around the trees, but if a great script comes my way, I should say no to it because I am afraid of portraying someone a few years older than me,' she added.'The problem is either I can do multiple cosmetic surgeries and sit at home and wait for certain filmmakers to call me or I can go and work with those makers who are making all these interesting scripts and they want to work with me. This has been a huge shift when you start taking control of your own life choices and narratives,' Qureshi on the work front, Huma Qureshi will appear next in 'Maharani 4'. The story of Maharani follows Qureshi as Rani Bharti and is set in Bihar, delving into the state's political landscape with real-life inspirations. The series debuted on SonyLIV in 2021, followed by its second season in 2022 and the third in 2024. It is created by Subhash Kapoor and directed by Saurabh Watch
India Today
15-05-2025
- Business
- India Today
Two nations, one future: Aroon Purie at India Today's Indo-UAE Conclave
India and the UAE share a relationship that is time-tested, multi-dimensional, and future-ready, India Today Group's Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Aroon Purie said while addressing India Today's Indo-UAE Conclave in Dubai on Thursday. He added India and the UAE share a partnership that is not only growing, but it is evolving."The India-UAE relationship is beyond economics, it is a time-tested cultural bridge, he said, adding that the relationship is "deeply cultural, emotional, and human." He noted that over 3.5 million Indians call the UAE their home, and they are stakeholders in the UAE's India-UAE partnership offers a rare constant: a relationship based on trust, pragmatism, and mutual benefit," Aroon Purie said at the landmark gathering of policymakers, business leaders, and innovators shaping the future of India-UAE his full speech:Ladies and gentlemen, Distinguished guests, Friends from India and the UAE,Good morning, and a very warm welcome to the inaugural India Today India-UAE Conclave in the magnificent city of Dubai.I first came to Dubai in 1970, which is 55 years ago. I was invited to set up a printing press for the government here. As you can imagine, there was very little here at that time. Even some of the government offices were in cabins, the kind used at construction when I see the UAE, I regard it as one of the miracles of the world. The transformation of a desert into one of the world's most advanced cosmopolitan cities. Dubai and Abu Dhabi in is symbol of what ambition, vision, leadership and technology can do.I congratulate the rulers of UAE past and present for giving this miracle to the world. For over two decades, the India Today Conclaves have hosted thought leaders, change makers, and global voices to reflect on the India story. Today, that story is expanding its canvas from South Asia to West Asia. From the local to the truly global. We have gathered here to celebrate what we call 'India and the UAE — two nations, one future'. And what better city than Dubai, this bold, visionary metropolis that reflects the very spirit of transformation, connectivity and ambition that we aim to spotlight in the India-UAE relationship. Much like India, this country is diverse, dynamic, and determined to define the future on its own terms. I firmly believe that the India-UAE story is one of the most underappreciated diplomatic achievements of the 21st are here not just as observers of a bilateral relationship. We are here as participants in a growing partnership. One that has moved far beyond trade into shared aspirations, cultural embrace, and geopolitical and the UAE share a relationship that is time-tested, multi-dimensional, and flourishing trade to growing cultural bonds. From political alignment to strategic convergence, this is a partnership that is not only growing, but it is and the UAE have long enjoyed strong trade relations. The UAE is India's third-largest trading partner, and India is the UAE's second-largest export destination. Bilateral trade has already crossed $83 billion, and is expected to surge past $100 billion within this numbers only tell part of the story. We are moving beyond transactional ties into an era of transformational synergy. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) has redefined the scale and speed of bilateral trade. Since tariffs are the hot topic of the day, here is an example of how to do countries have eliminated duties; the UAE has cleaned up 97.4% of its tariff lines, corresponding to 99% of imports from India. India reciprocated by eliminating duties on over 80% of its tariff lines, covering 90% of its exports in value terms. The trust is deepening and strengthening the friendship between the two countries. Cross-border investments are flowing across a diverse set of sectors—from clean energy to fintech, logistics to AI, space technology to food security. advertisementIn the last 25 years, India has received cumulative FDI worth more than $22 billion from the UAE, making it the 7th largest investor in India. Like a true friend, Indians are also betting on the story of the transformation of the live in an era where globalisation is being redefined, multilateralism is on the retreat and regionalism is on the power rivalries have re-emerged in Eastern Europe, the Indo-Pacific, and West this flux, the India-UAE partnership offers a rare constant: a relationship based on trust, pragmatism, and mutual the G20 Summit, hosted by India, the UAE was a prominent voice in forging a new economic corridor - the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) connecting India to Europe via the Middle East a project that is not just about infrastructure, but about re-imagining supply chains, data flows, and energy routes in the 21st century. In climate diplomacy, both countries are collaborating to shape the green agenda with India's renewables push and the UAE's hosting of COP28 forming a timely convergence. The subsea cable will be an epitome of the energy partnership is not stuck in the past it is leaping into the future. We are seeing innovation in fintech, digital payments, and emerging tech and education. advertisementThe India-UAE relationship is beyond economics, it is a time-tested cultural bridge. It is deeply cultural, emotional, and human. Over 3.5 million Indians call the UAE their home. They are not migrants. They are stakeholders in UAE's thrives here. Cricket unites us, and Indian cuisine spices up the Emirati UAE is home to the only Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, and India is home to one of the oldest mosques in Kerala. This is civilisational coexistence in Today is proud to host this Conclave here in Dubai. We believe that meaningful partnerships thrive on dialogue, transparency, and mutual understanding. In a world of polarised narratives and fractured facts, the role of credible journalism and forums like this becomes even more Conclave is our modest attempt to bring that story into the spotlight. Not just to celebrate it, but to build upon it. It is the beginning of a deeper conversation about what two ambitious nations can achieve when they trust, trade, and think you for being part of this the dialogue Hind. Shukran. Dhanyavaad.
