Fatima Sana Shaikh may have truly broken out in Bollywood after her now-iconic role of wrestler Geeta Phogat in Dangal (2016), but it all began when she first shared screen space with Kamal Haasan in Chachi 420 (the Hindi remake of Avvai Shanmughi ) at the age of five.
“I just remember having a great time on set, all the attention was on me, and I was showered with love and chocolates. But I do have one really traumatic memory from the film: there’s a scene in which I get burnt and thrown into a pool — and they used real fire! To top it off, I couldn’t swim also. There was so much drama that they eventually used CGI for the scene; I only remember my mom yelling and me crying madly, “ she laughs.
Fatima with Kamal Haasan in ‘Chachi 420’
Has she met Kamal Haasan since then? “After the release of Dangal , I ran into him at a cafe, and absolutely had to go say hi. I interrupted the conversation he was having and introduced myself; he remembered who I was! I behaved like a total fan-girl and took pictures,” Fatima grins.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing for her as a child artiste — it took several years for the star to be comfortable with the camera, auditions and all the trappings that come with being a young kid in Bollywood. Fatima touched upon this and several other topics during an upcoming episode of Zee Cafe’s Starry Nights Gen Y , where she appears alongside Dangal director Nitesh Tiwari.
Talking to us on the phone before the airing of the show, Fatima says that the situation is better now and children entering the industry are more aware: “There are working hours and so on, but I still don’t know how reality shows work and all. My personal experience wasn’t great being a child artiste — but I can only speak for myself — there is both the good and bad that come with it. But because I entered films so early, I eventually went on to love the experience. Would it be the same for others? I don’t know.”
She adds that there has to be a balance between exposing kids to creativity and art forms and pushing them to take it forward. “I see so many children passionate about dancing, singing or acting and wanting to enter films — but in the pursuit of that, they shouldn’t be taken away from their education,” Fatima says.
The actor is no stranger to the vicissitudes of fame; it was only a few years back when she faced a heavy backlash for a photoshoot that she did during the month of Ramadan. “My mother calls me and tells me that a certain ‘indecent’ picture of mine has made national news. People were having debates about my clothes and discussing if it’s right or wrong. I did break down crying,” she recalls.
Fatima asks, “Was it because of my name? But I’m an atheist and don’t follow any religion. I don’t understand this: Why do people have certain expectations of you and pressure you into behaving a certain way because of your name? Back then, I didn’t even know what PR or marketing was, I’d just been part of a big film and was enjoying the attention. Maybe I will never understand all this.”
But back to present times, and the 28-year-old who has films like Ludo and Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari in the pipeline, says that she’s early waiting for things to settle down and get back to work: “But I also understand that there’s going to be a ‘new normal’ and we all need to learn to live with it. I’m usually very restless and anxious when I’m not working, but the lockdown has taught me to calm down.”
“It’s not just the COVID-19 situation, there have been cyclones and earthquakes and what not in the last few months... it’s made me realise that life is uncertain and that we need to appreciate each and every moment, rather than stressing over what comes tomorrow,” she says, quite poignantly.
What is the first thing she wants to do when the pandemic is finally over? “I want to go and watch a film in the theatres! That, and plan a getaway to the mountains. It’s my favourite place to visit whenever I get a chance to escape.”
Starry Nights Gen Y with Fatima Sana Shaikh will air on June 21 and a rerun on June 27, at 10 PM on Zee Café and Zee Café HD
