Entering the film industry is never easy for newcomers; some take up small roles while others begin their journey as child actors from a very young age. There’s one such actress who entered showbiz as a child artist and also became a part of a blockbuster film with actors like Kamal Haasan and Tabu.
The actress is none other than Fatima Sana Shaikh. She began her acting journey as a child artist with the 1997 film Chachi 420. In the film, she portrayed the role of Jaiprakash Paswan, aka Jai and Janki Paswan’s daughter, Bharti. Let’s take a look at her early childhood and how she ended up being cast with Kamal Haasan and Tabu.
Fatima Sana Shaikh delivered a hit with Kamal Haasan and Tabu
In an interview with Bollywood Bubble, when asked about her early childhood and acting journey, Fatima Sana Shaikh said, “Toh main Bombay mein paida hui hoon, Andheri East mein, aur meri mom aur dad migrant hain Jammu & Kashmir se, papa Jammu se aur mom Kashmir se. Toh woh yahan aaye, aur mera aur mere bhai ka janm yahin hua. Phir hum log Andheri East mein hi rehte the. Wahan ek area hai, Kamal Amrohi, shayad ab bhi wahi naam hai. Aur jaise aap dekhte ho, jab shoot hoti hai, log aas-paas gather ho jaate hain, ikattha ho jaate hain.”
(So, I was born in Bombay, in Andheri East. My mother and father are migrants from Jammu and Kashmir my father is from Jammu and my mother from Kashmir. They came here, and both my brother and I were born here. We’ve lived in the eastern side only. There’s an area called Kamal Amrohi I think that’s still the name and, as you often see, whenever there’s a shoot happening, people from nearby gather around to watch.)
She further added, “Mere mom-dad bhi unmein se ek the, bachon ke saath, kyunki shooting ho rahi hoti thi, shooting ho rahi thi, shooting ho rahi thi. Aur I think kyunki woh almost har din jaate the, log unko pehchaanne lage. Agar 30 din ki shoot hoti hai, toh by then logon ko pata chal jaata hai, ‘Haan, yeh toh roz aate hain, bachon ke saath; yeh daily wale hain, shooting dekhne aate hain’. I think wahan se shayad unhone kisi se baat ki hogi ki bachon ko films mein kaise daalte hain, ya auditions kaise hote hain, ya jo bhi process hota hai. Wahan se mera auditioning ka process start hua jab main bachchi thi. Phir I think maine kuch ads diye, aur finally audition diya Chachi 420 ke liye, jiska mujhe koi memory nahi hai, aur role mil gaya. Phir wahan se mera journey start hua.”
(My parents were among those people, one of them standing there with their children because a shoot was happening. I think because they went almost every day, people started recognising them. If a shoot is set up for 30 days, by then people know ‘Yes, they come every day with their children; they’re regulars who come to watch shoots.’ I think from there, my parents must have spoken to someone about how to get children into films, how auditions work, or something along those lines. That’s where the process of auditioning started when I was a child.)
For the unversed, Kamal Haasan’s directorial Chachi 420 was a box office hit.
How Fatima Sana Shaikh ended up being cast with Kamal Haasan and Tabu?
Fatima mentioned that after doing a few advertisements, she auditioned for Chachi 420 and bagged the role in the blockbuster film. She said, “Phir I think maine kuch ads diye, aur finally audition diya Chachi 420 ke liye, jiska mujhe koi memory nahi hai, aur role mil gaya. Phir wahan se mera journey start hua.” (I think I did a few ads some advertisements and then finally auditioned for Chachi 420. I have no memory of it, but I got the role. That’s where my journey as a child actor began.)
Despite being in the entertainment industry, Fatima Sana Shaikh got recognition and fame in Bollywood with Aamir Khan’s film Dangal. In this biographical drama, she played the role of Geeta Phogat, which won her widespread acclaim.
Also Read: When Kangana Ranaut opened up about flirting with Akshaye Khanna, here’s how Dhurandhar actor responded
</div>
