All set to light up the silver screen in her second outing, Fatima Sana Sheikh aka on-screen Geeta Phogat, has become a household name now. Her role depicting ace Indian wrestler, Geeta Phogat, took the nation by storm. Not only was she appreciated for her acting competence, but, also the realistic portrayal of a wrestler, was applaud worthy.
And now, post that, she is all set to experiment and showcase her acting prowess alongside Bollywood superstars Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan and Katrina Kaif in ‘Thugs of Hindostan’, that hits cinema houses in November 2018.
Fatima is a talent that cannot escape anyone’s eyes. Here are some facts about her and her background.
Fatima was born on January 11, 1992, in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, to a Hindu-Muslim combination. Her parents Vipan Sharma, is a Hindu from Jammu and Raj Tabassum, a Muslim from Srinagar. She is a thorough bred Mumbai girl. She studied at St Xavier’s school and post that completed her graduation from Mithibai College, Mumbai.
She began her acting career as a child artist, when she played the role of Kamal Haasan and Tabu’s daughter in the 1997 released hit movie ‘Chachi 420’.
She was also seen in a pivotal child artist role in the Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla starrer, One 2 Ka 4 that released in 2001. Post this, she left acting, as she was missing studies. But, once she completed college, she couldn’t resist the temptation of getting back on screen.
In 2008, she played the role of Zoya in the Indian drama film Tahaan. In 2009 she switched to TV soaps such as Ladies Special, where she played the role of the protagonists daughter and Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo, in which she played a negative role. She worked in the comedy film Bittoo Boss (2012), the romantic film Akaash Vani (2013) before Dangal(2016), fell in her lap. Tailor made and just the role she needed to accelerate her growth in the movie.
Thugs of Hindostan will be the next big thing to propagate her in the big league.
From doing insignificant and second fiddle roles in movies of lesser consequence, she also went jobless for almost three years. But the never-say-die attitude of her’s prompted her to dabble in other areas. A noted photographer, she worked as a cinematographer for a couple of advertisement related films.
With her power-packed performance in Dangal, she has epitomised Geeta Phogat on celluloid. But making her way to Dangal wasn’t an easy journey.
Dangal was a journey that required rigour, focus, patience and hard work. She had to undergo 6 levels of qualification, stand in queues, before getting the final yes from the movie’s team.
Even after bagging the role, she had to undergo rigorous training, under the strict supervision of Aamir Khan. This included physical training for 3-4 hours every day.
Apart from being a good actor, Fatima is also a fabulous dancer. Videos on her dancing with her ‘Dangal’ co-star Sanya Malhotra on her Instagram handle stand testimony to this.
Her hobbies include sketching and drawing.