Huma Qureshi credits Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for making Cannes Film Festival 'IMPORTANT' in India

Actor and producer Huma Qureshi made her big return to the Cannes Film Festival over the weekend, where she appeared at the Red Sea Film Foundation’s Women in Cinema gala. The actress, who also made jaw-dropping appearances on the red carpet, got candid about her Cannes dreams.


Huma Qureshi on Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's iconic red carpet moments
Speaking during a conversation with Sucharita Tyagi, Huma reflected on her journey at the prestigious festival, which began with 'Gangs of Wasseypur'. Over the years, she has returned to Cannes with multiple projects and this time attended the festival as a producer. Recalling how Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's Cannes appearances left a lasting impression on her, Huma said, “I used to watch Aishwarya coming over here and doing her red carpet moments. I swear ever since that, I was like ‘I want to do this once’.”



The actor, who dressed in an elegant saree, quipped that her look paid tribute to Ash's iconic appearance from the 'Devdas' premiere with Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. "My saree look is a homage to her Devdas look," Huma said, before jokingly adding, "I just made that up right now."


Huma Qureshi credits Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for making film festivals 'important'
Praising the Bollywood star's long-standing association with Cannes, she added, “She's (Aishwarya) really sort of made these festivals so important.”


Huma Qureshi on importance of film festivals
During the conversation, she was asked about bringing films to festivals as a producer, contrary to current trends of filmmakers backing out of festivals over fears of negative reviews hampering the box office opening. Huma said, "In a time like this, in a world that we live in, where everything is so dependent on the algorithm working or whatever the understanding is, I feel like film festivals like this are so important."


Describing the cultural value of global cinema events, she continued, “This is nuanced, geographically, filmmaking at its finest where you have emotionally evocative stories that cut across barriers.”




Huma Qureshi to star in 'Toxic'
On the work front, Huma will next be seen in the film 'Toxic', sharing screen space with Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Rukmini Vasanth, Tara Sutaria and Yash. According to the film's leading man, the female characters will be "badass women who have taken responsibility about their lives and who survive in any situation."Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”