Huma Qureshi has made several trips to Toronto, but the upcoming visit will be special for her. The actor will take Bayaan to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), where Bikas Ranjan Mishra’s directorial venture — the only Indian title to be selected in the Discovery section — will première on September 7. “This is my maiden visit to the festival,” Qureshi says gleefully. 

Stills from ‘Homebound’ and (right) ‘Gandhi’

In Bayaan, the actor plays an investigator who goes to Rajasthan to solve a case that shows her how our society is steeped in patriarchy. Saying yes to the thriller was an instinctive decision, she says. “The script was fantastic. Bikas and Shiladitya [Bora, producer] were sure of the story they wanted to tell — it was India-specific, but told with a larger global audience [in mind]. The film is supported by International Film Festival Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund. During the [Film Independent’s] LA Residency, the scripting was done under the mentorship of Craig Mazin of Chernobyl [2019] fame. It felt like something I wanted to bet on. I had wanted to do an indie project for a long time. It is getting so much appreciation and that reinstates my faith in the fact that passion drives work in the movies.”