Huma Qureshi Says Filmmakers, Actors Use English On Sets: 'Who Are You Making Films For?'

There is a conversation that keeps resurfacing in the Hindi film industry, and this time, actor Huma Qureshi has brought it back into focus. Many filmmakers and actors from smaller towns have often said

that Hindi cinema feels less and less rooted in the language it claims to represent. Now, Huma says that the issue begins right on film sets, where English dominates the conversations and even Hindi film scripts are printed in English.

Speaking to Shubhankar Mishra on his YouTube channel, Huma said she finds it strange that films intended for a Hindi-speaking audience often aren’t created in Hindi at all.

“The problem in our industry now is that even though it is the Hindi film industry, half the people don’t really know Hindi properly. In fact, most of the communication on sets happens in English, and even our scripts are printed in English. My question is who are you making these films for? You are making them for a Hindi-speaking audience, right? So at least speak the language! That is why so many people don’t have a proper command over it. They can neither speak English well nor Hindi. So what do you actually speak?”

Her words echo similar concerns raised by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who not long ago pointed out that Hindi gangster dramas often cast actors who struggle with Hindi lines, despite the stories being set in small towns.

Nawazuddin had said that filmmakers are creating “gangster shows” but are “casting English-speaking actors in them”, and roles that should go to performers fluent in Hindi end up elsewhere. According to him, this leaves actors from smaller towns, who should be the natural fit, watching opportunities slip away.

Huma also explained that she has always had a strong connection with languages, something she calls her “superpower.”

“If I spend half an hour or an hour a day with someone, I can start speaking like them,” she told The Times of India earlier.

The discussion around language comes at a time when Bollywood is trying to rebuild its connection with audiences beyond metros. Many viewers feel that Hindi films no longer sound or feel like the people they are made for.

Huma Qureshi recently appeared in Delhi Crime 3 and Maharani Season 4, and her film Bayaan premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. As stars like her speak up, more voices from the industry are likely to join the debate.