Fatima Sana Shaikh (born 11 January 1992) is an Indian actress, who works in Hindi films.[1] Shaikh appeared as a child artist in such films as Chachi 420 (1997) and One 2 Ka 4 (2001).[2] In 2016, she portrayed wrestler Geeta Phogat in the top-grossing sports film Dangal.[3] She has since starred in the streaming projects Ludo (2020), Ajeeb Daastaans (2021) and Modern Love Mumbai (2022), and portrayed Indira Gandhi in the biographical drama Sam Bahadur (2023).
Early and personal life
Fatima Sana Shaikh was born on 11 January 1992[4][better source needed] born and brought up in Mumbai. Her mother, Raj Tabassum, is from Srinagar, and her father, Vipin Sharma, is from Jammu.[5] Shaikh identifies as an atheist.[6] She had received experience in photography prior to becoming an actress.[7]
The actress has opened up about her personal experiences of living with epilepsy to help raise awareness of the neurological condition.[8][9]
Career
Shaikh began her career as a child artist in Chachi 420 and One 2 Ka 4.[2] Years later, she played Zoya in the Indian drama film Tahaan, which received "The German Star of India award" at "Bollywood and Beyond" festival at Stuttgart, Germany in 2009.[10]
Shaikh was selected for Nitesh Tiwari's biographical sports film Dangal along with Sanya Malhotra, who had never acted before. Shaikh was chosen to portray Geeta Phogat.[11] To prepare for her role, she watched several videos on wrestling to understand "how wrestlers move, walk, their body language".[11] Both Malhotra and Shaikh went through five rounds of auditions, physical training and workshops with Tiwari and Aamir Khan.[7] They were trained by coach and former wrestler Kripa Shankar Patel Bishnoi.[7] Released in 2016, Dangal received critical acclaim and became the highest-grossing Indian film ever with earnings of more than ₹2,000 crore (US$230 million) worldwide.[12]
^Interview With Fatima Sana Shaikh for 'Suraj Pe Mangal Bhaari' And 'Ludo' | The Quint (in Hindi and English). The Quint. 27 October 2020. Event occurs at 08:55. Retrieved 23 February 2021. I am an atheist. I have a mother who is Muslim, I have a father who is Hindu. My brother and myself, we are atheist. We do not follow any religion, we do not follow any god.
^ abcRathi, Vasundhara (20 December 2016). "Braving the bruises". The Hindu. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
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