Huma Qureshi on Playing the ‘Joker’ of Human Trafficking in Delhi Crime S3

Actor Compares Her Dark Antagonist Role to the DC Villain in Face-Off Against Shefali Shah’s Protagonist

Huma Qureshi is set to take on her most villainous role yet as Meena, aka Badi Didi, a powerful human trafficking kingpin in the upcoming third season of Netflix’s Delhi Crime. In an interview, Huma discussed the character and the unique appeal of playing such a dark antagonist.

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Embracing the Darkness

Huma described her character, Meena, as ‘exciting, and dark,’ a role with hardly any redeeming qualities. The actor stressed her professional approach to the negative character, stating, “As an actor, when you play something, your job is not to judge.”

Having previously played righteous characters like Rani Bharti in Maharani, Huma was initially surprised by the offer. She recalled accepting the role immediately because she is a big fan of the franchise. Upon being approached by showrunners Tanuj Chopra and Apoorva Bakshi, she asked, “‘Am I playing a cop?’ And she said no.” She admitted that the opportunity to portray such a dark character excited her as an actor.

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The Batman vs. Joker Face-Off

Delhi Crime S3 is structured as an intense face-off, giving the antagonist, Meena, almost the same stature and power as the protagonist, DCP (now DIG) Vartika Chaturvedi, played by Shefali Shah.

Huma revealed that the showmakers consciously pitched the season as an epic showdown. “The way this was pitched to me was ‘this is Batman vs Joker’,” she shared. She added that while every actor wants to be Batman, no actor would turn down the chance to play the Joker, making the proposition irresistible.

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Hoping to be ‘Loved as the Most Hated Woman’

The actor is well aware of the impact the role will have on the audience. “I want to be loved as the most hated woman in this show,” Huma stated, acknowledging that Meena “does some really horrible things,” which she does not personally approve of.

Directed by Tanuj Chopra, Delhi Crime S3 also stars Rasika Dugal, Rajesh Tailang, Sayani Gupta, Mita Vashisht, Anshumaan Pushkar, and Kelly Dorji. The popular series is scheduled to return to Netflix on 13 November.