Huma Qureshi and Kavita Gupta Join Forces at Emmy Week in LA (EXCLUSIVE)

Huma Qureshi and producer and venture capitalist Kavita Gupta are bringing a little more Indian star power to Emmy Week in Los Angeles. The actor and producer is attending the week-long festivities alongside Gupta, an Emmy Board member, as the two explore opportunities to connect South Asian talent and stories with the global entertainment community.

For Qureshi, who has moved seamlessly between theatrical films, streaming projects and independent cinema, Emmy Week is about more than attending events. “I’m here not just as an actor, but also as a producer to sort of figure out what interesting opportunities could exist for talent from South Asia and for the rest of the world to collaborate on,” she says.

The collaboration between the two began taking shape after they reconnected at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), where Gupta hosted a dinner. The producer, who has known the actor since her early days, says she has watched Huma’s career evolve while retaining the qualities she admired in her from the beginning. “One person who is growing very strong with respect to art and craft, with respect to numbers, anything and everything, while staying at core the same human being has been Huma for me,” she says.

Gupta believes the time is right for South Asian talent to have a stronger presence in global entertainment circles. “The time has come for South Asia to be an insider at a global scale, and not as an outsider,” she says. For her, bringing Qureshi into these rooms was a natural choice. “I can’t offer a better powerhouse with respect to acting from South Asia at this moment than Huma,” she adds.

Qureshi, meanwhile, sees Emmy Week as an opportunity to build bridges between the Indian and international entertainment industries. “I’ve been very passionate about finding those interesting projects, those interesting films, voices, globally, and to tell those kinds of stories. Kavita and I are both extremely passionate about putting together films or shows which will bridge that gap, which will tell those diverse stories, which will tell our stories and take it to the world and bring the world to India,” she says.

Qureshi adds, “When you’re in these rooms, you smell the possibility. I think that is very exciting for us.”

Their Emmy Week itinerary includes the  Gold House Asian Nominee Drinks & Coalition Humanitarian Award and Motion Picture Emmys Nominee Dinner by the Academy, among others. This year’s Emmys take place Monday, followed by the traditional Governors Ball for the winners.

For Gupta, the current buzz around Indian content represents a significant shift from when she first joined the Emmy board. She recalls a time when even accessing Indian shows for consideration was a challenge. “When I joined the Board back in 2017, we were just getting to talking about Indian projects,” she says, pointing to the early days of streaming and the efforts around shows such as “Sacred Games” and “Inside Edge.”

Today, she says, the landscape has changed dramatically, with Indian submissions increasing substantially. What began as a struggle to get Indian projects into the room has evolved into a much broader conversation about the quality and global potential of Indian storytelling.

Qureshi has witnessed that transformation from the other side as well. She recalls watching Emmy-nominated international shows even before streaming had become widely available in India and being struck by their writing, performances and production values. Her own journey with streaming began with “Leila,” followed by projects including “Maharani” and “Delhi Crime” Season 3. 

She believes the visibility offered by platforms such as the Emmys goes beyond awards. “Sometimes, I feel the gain is just by sheer interaction. It kind of makes everyone sit up and take notice of the work that we’re doing,” she says.

That visibility, she adds, is particularly meaningful when it comes to women of Indian origin making their mark behind and in front of the camera. “These are spaces that were earlier not allowed to us, and now we are slowly, slowly chipping away at that,” she says, crediting the “unsung heroes” behind the scenes who continue to create opportunities.

For Qureshi, the ambition ultimately extends beyond her own career. “I want to see, not just for myself, but I really want to see Indian films and shows really shine. I’m excited about finding those crossover stories that will blow people away. Where is that ‘Squid Game’ from India? Where is our ‘Parasite?’” As Emmy Week unfolds, Qureshi and Gupta are hoping their time in LA will lead them to creatively satisfying opportunities. For the duo, the goal is to turn those conversations into meaningful collaborations.