In the big league
Child artist Fatima is all grown up and will soon be seen in the Aamir Khan starrer Dangal.
Fatima Sana Shaikh, who plays the role of wrestler Geeta Phogat in the much awaited film Dangal, is not new to the camera. She played a pivotal role in Chachi 420 and also worked with Shah Rukh Khan in One 2 ka 4.
Recalling her experience as a child artist, Fatima says, “Although I started off as a child artist, I left acting in between as I felt that I was missing the fun of school days. But a little later, I became keen on acting again and started going for auditions.”
Fatima admits that she hated studying. “None of the subjects interested me. I started auditioning but at times would feel depressed as I would get shortlisted but never received the final call. Only when the commercials were released would I come to know that I was not selected,” she says.
Recalling her struggle, Fatima says, “I have given innumerable auditions and stood in queues for my turn to come. I auditioned 5-6 times for Dangal. I was just waiting for the final call as there were about 15-16 girls who auditioned for the role.”
Fatima and her co-star had some anxious moments even as they were training for the movie. “A publication mentioned some other names being chosen for the same roles. Our anxieties knew no bounds as we could not reveal that we were selected for the roles. But we just decided to train ourselves to the best of our ability,” she reveals.
So, were they in awe of Aamir when they first met him? “Not at all. When we saw him enter the first time, he looked like a cute little teddy bear as he was already into the character. But when he finally lost weight and looked like the Aamir Khan of Ghajini, Taare Zameen Par and 3 Idiots fame — we really felt as though we were meeting a star.”
Fatima, however, admits, “Aamir sir never intimidates anyone. Instead, he makes us feel so comfortable that we try to come up to his level. He is so passionate about his job after having done so many films; if we can match up to even one per cent of his passion, it will be nice.”
Fatima states that she would like to make India proud like Geeta and Babita did. “I will start doing little things from my end — like keeping my surroundings clean and exercising my vote. I prefer such humble beginnings,” she concludes.