Huma: Fashion is a celebration of courage

On a bright morning in the spellbinding Dal Lake, Huma Qureshi turns muse for us. The actor was in Srinagar, Kashmir, recently to be the showstopper for couturier Varun Bahl’s historic fashion show—the first-ever mainstream showcase in the valley in the last forty years.

“There can be no art in the absence of courage,” says Qureshi. The same spirit was displayed by models from Srinagar and neighboring areas who participated in the show. Two years ago, a fashion show held by locals in the valley had irked the radicals. They had taken out a protest march against the organizers. Bahl’s grand show turned out to be a far cry, shutting down naysayers. It proved how fashion — a celebration of free will and individual liberty — can also become a means to counter extremism. It marked the fearless return of art and entertainment in Kashmir.

Happy to see her mother’s homeland bounce back after a long period of gloom, Qureshi says fashion can serve as a powerful unifier. “Fashion can help find beauty and harmony even when it’s difficult to do so. It can bind people across the world. Fashion is liberating and should be allowed to flourish,” she says.

The actor, who was recently seen in the biopic Tarla, posed for her first-ever fashion shoot in Kashmir, celebrating wedding wear rooted in traditions. “Every bride looks resplendent irrespective of which part of India she is from. Whether it is a saree, a lehenga, or a sharara — Indian wedding couture has a special place in my heart. Its beauty is unmatched,” says Qureshi, who looks like a dream herself in Bahl’s splendid creations.

CONCEPT & CREATIVE DIRECTION: SHARA ASHRAF PRAYAG

OUTFITS: VARUN BAHL

STYLING: GOPALIKA VIRMANI GURWARA

PHOTOS: LAKSHAY SACHDEVA

JEWELLERY: THE HOUSE OF RAMBHAJOS

COORDINATION: ZAHERA KAYNAT

PRODUCTION: IRSHU (EUPHORIA TRAVEL SERVICES)

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