Fatima Sana Shaikh got her big break in Bollywood with the film, Dangal, opposite Aamir Khan in 2016, and has since then been touted as a face to look out for. But not everyone knows that long before Dangal, Fatima had featured in the 1997 film, Chachi 420, as a child actress.
Reminiscing about the good old days of Chachi 420, Fatima recently spoke to a leading daily saying she just had a fun time and didn’t really understand what was happening around her. She says that there was no insecurity or nervousness before her first shot, it was just about enjoying it all and being pampered while on set.
She shares:
The first time I ever faced the camera was for Chachi 420. I was five at the time of the shooting and didn’t understand what being on set meant. I was just happy to be on holiday with my family in Madras (Chennai), where the film was shot. When you are the only child on the set you inadvertently become the apple of everyone’s eye. I remember being pampered a lot by everyone on the set including Kamal Haasan sir and Tabu. Between shots, they would bring me treats and treat me like royalty. Back then, I just wanted to enjoy whatever was happening and then go out to play.
Now, cut to Dangal, the actress says that she was super nervous during the first day of shoot, as it was opposite Aamir. It was the scene where her character, Geeta, rebels against her father after coming back from the hostel.
She says:
We had rehearsed it well before, but I was sure they will regret casting me for the film. Luckily, we canned it in two-three takes. While Aamir Khan didn’t say anything, Nitesh sir walked up to me and offered some words of encouragement.
What a stark difference in her experiences for the two films, right? Well, it all comes down to the talent, and boy she is talented. On the work front, Fatima just wrapped a schedule of Anurag Basu‘s next in Bhopal and is all set to collaborate with Saif Ali Khan and Ali Fazal in their upcoming horror comedy Bhoot Police, which is slated to release in 2020.