In SonyLIV’s new web series Maharani, Huma Qureshi plays a role inspired by former Chief Minister Of Bihar, Lalu Prasad Yadav’s wife Rabri Devi. The act has won her more fangs than fans. A lot of Bihar’s junta feels this whitewashed version of Rabri Devi is a sham. Says Roshan Singh a leading film exhibitor of Bihar, “Which Rabri Devi is this? When did she become this Jhansi Ka Rani and Indira Gandhi combined? I feel the series is sponsored by Laluji’s well-wishers and friends.”
Says Patna-based steel entrepreneur Sudhir Kumar, “They did the right thing by changing the names of Lalu Yadav and Rabri Devi. This is not Rabri Devi’s story. If it is their own imagination then why was the cast giving interviews about the serial being based on Lalu and Rabri Devi? You can’t have it both ways. Headline bhi aur fiction bhi.”
Huma’s film has so far not been much appreciated in Bihar. That has changed now. Her character in Maharani has made her a household name in the State. Rekha Vinod a school teacher in Patna says Huma’s character is an ideal blend of resolute and flexibility. “Of course they’ve taken huge liberties with political facts. But then what was Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat? Or Mughal-e-Azam? What I like about Huma Qureshi’s character is that she very reluctantly agrees to become the Chief Minister of Bihar. But she refuses to be a rubber stamp. She has a mind of her own. That’s amazing.”
Says Huma Qureshi, “It's not often that you get to portray a character that lets you explore so many layers as a performer. Rani Bharti has been a delight to play. She starts off as someone whom we all know and relate to but what she goes onto become is someone few of us can aspire for.”
Image source: instagram/iamhumaq/youtube/SonyLIV