Huma Qureshi Calls Out Bollywood’s ‘Hyper-Sexualised’ Female Assassin Trope, Says It Comes From Patriarchy | Bollywood News
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Huma Qureshi, who plays a ‘regular looking’ assassin in Baby Do Die Do, criticised Bollywood’s hyper-sexualised portrayal of female assassins, saying it stems from patriarchy.
Huma Qureshi Calls Out Bollywood’s ‘Hyper-Sexualised’ Female Assassin Trope
Huma Qureshi has spoken about the need for a shift in the way female action characters are portrayed in Bollywood. The actress, who recently portrayed a “regular-looking” assassin in Baby Do Die Do, said she hopes the film encourages filmmakers to create more layered and unconventional roles for women. In a chat with PTI, she also criticised Bollywood’s hyper-sexualised portrayal of female assassins, saying it stems from patriarchy.
Huma Qureshi On Her Character In Baby Do Die Do
Huma Qureshi plays Baby, a deaf and mute assassin in the film. In an interview with PTI, Huma discussed how her character Baby stands apart from the typical portrayal of female assassins in Hindi cinema. Unlike the often-glamorous and highly stylised action heroines seen on screen, Baby is designed to look like an ordinary person who could easily blend into a crowd.
Speaking about her role, she said, “The fact that she is so normal and regular looking and yet such a lethal killer is what makes it such an interesting tale… We just wanted to make a very relatable character. Baby is somebody you just meet in a Mumbai local and not bat an eyelid.”
“I think there could be a lot more change when it comes to writing better parts. There’s definitely a step in the right direction,” she added.
Huma Qureshi Criticises Portrayal Of Female Assassins In Bollywood
The actor also addressed the trend of female assassins usually being presented as glamorous figures, often wearing body-hugging outfits. She pointed out that reducing such characters to their looks reflects a patriarchal perspective and argued that women do not need to be sexualised to appear powerful or threatening.
“That women have to be in these tight-fitting clothes, hyper sexualised sort of imagery to be able to be assassins. I think it is coming from patriarchy,” she said.
About Baby Do Die Do
‘Baby Do Die Do’ marks the maiden project under Huma and her brother Saqib Saleem’s production house, Saleem Siblings. The film sees the actress stepping into the role of India’s first on-screen female hitwoman.
Apart from Huma, the film also stars Sikandar Kher, Chunky Panday, Rachit Singh, along with an ensemble cast including Marudha Shekhawat, Vidya Malvade, Arun Kushwah, and Himanshu Malik.
Directed by Nachiket Samant, the film was released in theatres on July 3, 2026.
