The excitement in her voice is palpable as Huma Qureshi heads to Los Angeles to shoot for the upcoming Zack Snyder film, Army Of The Dead. If she has had a promising year with the Netflix series, Leila, the next two months will be just as significant as she shares screen space with Dave Bautista and Theo Rossi in the thriller.”I’ve always believed in growing, essaying different characters and having many experiences because they make you a better artiste. It’s a great opportunity for me to explore such varied genres,” she says, pointing to the diverse worlds that the Deepa Mehta show and the Snyder film belong to. Not many have the good fortune to make their Hollywood debut with the filmmaker, who is the brain behind superhero films like Justice League (2017) and Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016). Admitting that a Hollywood outing was not on her radar, Qureshi is surprised at how swiftly things progressed during a chance visit to Los Angeles in May.
“I was in LA for some work and was asked to go for this audition [by her manager]. I thought of giving it a shot and went for it on a Friday. I came back to India the very next day. On Tuesday, they called and offered me the film,” she laughs, before adding, “We start workshops right away. There will be a lot of work before the camera starts rolling.”The multi-million zombie thriller — that revolves around a group of mercenaries who venture into the quarantine zone to pull off a heist amidst a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas — seems far divorced from Qureshi’s previous endeavours. But the actor admits that Snyder was reason enough for her to greenlight the project. “The idea of working with an amazing director like Zack is exciting, considering the films he has helmed. This genre is vastly unexplored for Indian audiences. Now is the time for successful experimentation. As an actor, it is gratifying to try your hand at something that has never been done before.
