Fatima Sana Shaikh

  1. Home
  2. Wiki

Fatima Sana Shaikh
Shaikh in 2025
Born (1992-01-11) 11 January 1992 (age 33)
Hyderabad, Telangana, India
OccupationActress
Years active1997–present

Fatima Sana Shaikh (born 11 January 1992) is an Indian actress, who works in Hindi films.[1] Shaikh started her career as a child artist in such films as Chachi 420 (1997) and One 2 Ka 4 (2001). In 2016, she portrayed wrestler Geeta Phogat in the top-grossing sports film Dangal.[2] 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). For her performance in Dhak Dhak (2023), she earned the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress nomination.[3]

Early life

[edit]

Shaikh was born on 11 January 1992,[4][5] and brought up in Mumbai. Her father Vipin Sharma, is a Hindu from Jammu and her mother Raj Tabassum, is a Muslim from Srinagar.[6] Shaikh identifies as an atheist.[7] She had received experience in photography prior to becoming an actress.[8]

The actress has opened up about her personal experiences of living with epilepsy to help raise awareness of the neurological condition.[9][10]

Career

[edit]
Shaikh in 2023

Shaikh began her career as a child artist in Chachi 420 and One 2 Ka 4.[3] 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.[11]

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.[12] To prepare for her role, she watched several videos on wrestling to understand "how wrestlers move, walk, their body language".[12] Both Malhotra and Shaikh went through five rounds of auditions, physical training and workshops with Tiwari and Aamir Khan.[8] They were trained by coach and former wrestler Kripa Shankar Patel Bishnoi.[8] Released in 2016, Dangal received critical acclaim and became the highest-grossing Indian film ever with earnings of more than ₹2,000 crore (US$240 million) worldwide.[13] Anupama Chopra said in her review that Shaikh was "terrific" in the film.[14]

In 2018, Shaikh played Zafira Baig, a warrior-archer thug in the epic action-adventure film, Thugs of Hindostan.[15] It underperformed at the box office.[16] In 2020, she first played a wife struggling for her husband's innocence in Ludo opposite Rajkummar Rao.[17] She then played a traditional girl opposite Diljit Dosanjh in Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari.[18] In 2021, Shaikh played an unhappy wife having an affair opposite Jaideep Ahlawat in Ajeeb Daastaans.[19]

Shaikh had two releases in 2022. She first played a Kashmiri housemaid and a wife realising her worth in a segment of the series Modern Love Mumbai, opposite Bhupendra Jadawat.[20] Anuj Kumar of The Hindu noted, "Fatima’s performance makes her segment fly. Under Shonali’s watch, she is both flower and fire at the same time."[21] She then played a Rajasthani women opposite Harshvardhan Kapoor in Thar.[22] Taran Adarsh was appreciative of her lovely performance.[23] The film earned her a nomination at the Filmfare OTT Awards for Best Actress in a Web Original Film.[24]

Shaikh started 2023 with Dhak Dhak, where she played a female motorbike traveller.[25] Her performance earned her nomination for Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress.[26] Following this, Shaikh portrayed Indira Gandhi alongside Vicky Kaushal and Sanya Malhotra in Sam Bahadur, a film based on the life of Sam Manekshaw.[27] It was a moderate success at the box office.[28] While Mayank Shekhar found her performance to be "admirable",[29] Prannay Pathak was critical of her "unsteady portrayal".[30]

In her first release of 2025, Shaikh played a working wife facing unplanned pregnancy opposite Ali Fazal in Metro... In Dino.[31] Titas Chowdhury noted, "Fazal and Shaikh's chemistry is palpable and Fatima truly is a revelation."[32] Later, she played a spirited French instructor opposite R. Madhavan in Aap Jaisa Koi.[33]

Media image

[edit]

Shaikh was ranked in The Times Most Desirable Women at No. 48 in 2020.[34]

Filmography

[edit]
Key
† Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released

Films

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1997 Ishq Cameo appearance Child artist
Chachi 420 Bharti Ratan [35]
1999 Bade Dilwala Baby Sana
1999 Khoobsurat Gudiya
2001 One 2 Ka 4 Inspector Abbas' youngest daughter
2008 Tahaan Zoya
2012 Bittoo Boss Priya
2013 Akaash Vani Sumbul [36]
2015 Nuvvu Nenu Okkatavudam Sruti Telugu film
2016 Dangal Geeta Phogat [37]
2018 Thugs of Hindostan Zafira Baig [38]
2020 Ludo Pinky Jain [39]
Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari Tulshi "Tina" Rane [40]
2021 Ajeeb Daastaans Lipakshi [41]
2022 Thar Chetna
2023 Dhak Dhak Shashi "Sky" Kumar Yadav [42]
Sam Bahadur Indira Gandhi [43]
2025 Metro... In Dino Shruti [44]
Aap Jaisa Koi Madhu Bose [45]
TBA Gustaakh Ishq † TBA Completed [46]
TBA Nyaya † TBA Completed [47]

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2002–2004 Kitty Party Un­known
2009 Ladies Special Geeti Shinde
Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo Suman [48]
2011 Best of Luck Nikki Richa Shenoy Special appearance in Boys Meet Girls [49]
2022 Modern Love Mumbai Lalzari "Lali" Segment: "Raat Rani"

Music videos

[edit]
Year Title Singer Notes Ref.
2015 "Tujhse Meri" Aditya Salankar
2020 "Palkein Kholo" Vishal Bhardwaj Also director [50]

Accolades

[edit]
Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2017 Screen Awards Best Actress – Popular Choice Dangal Nominated [51]
Jackie Chan Action Movie Awards Best Action Actress Won [52]
2019 Thugs of Hindostan Won [53]
2022 Filmfare OTT Awards Best Actor in a Web Original Film – Female Thar Nominated [54]
2024 Filmfare Awards Best Actress – Critics Dhak Dhak Nominated [55]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Meet Aamir Khan's wrestler daughters". Mumbai Mirror. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  2. ^ Aneja, Atul (25 June 2017). "China's 'Dangal' mega-success echoes at second BRICS film festival". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 June 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  3. ^ a b Ghosh, Samrudhi (3 April 2019). "Fatima Sana Shaikh on her #MeToo story: It happened when I was very young". India Today. Delhi. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  4. ^ "Fatima Sana Shaikh Birthday Special". India TV. 11 January 2024. Archived from the original on 21 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Fatima Sana Shaikh: Lesser known facts about the actress". The Times of India. TOI. 29 August 2018. Archived from the original on 11 May 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  6. ^ "I am an atheist, I believe in karma: actress Fatima Sana Shaikh". The Siasat Daily. 29 October 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ a b c Rathi, Vasundhara (20 December 2016). "Braving the bruises". The Hindu. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  9. ^ Rathi, Vasundhara (25 May 2023). "Opening Up about Epilepsy". Firstpost.com. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  10. ^ "Exercising daily helps her combat her epilepsy". The Economic Times. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  11. ^ Jha, Subhash K. (24 July 2009). "Santosh Sivan unaware of Tahaan honour in Germany". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Dangal selection process: Sanya Malhotra talks about the emotionally exhausting experience". India.com. 16 December 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  13. ^ Cain, Rob (19 June 2017). "How An Indian Drama Became The World's Highest-Grossing Sports Movie Of 2017". Forbes.
  14. ^ Chopra, Anupama (22 December 2016). "Dangal Movie Review". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 24 May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  15. ^ "Thugs of Hindostan Movie Review: Bloated And Tacky Despite Amitabh Bachchan Plus Aamir Khan". Ndtv.com. 19 October 2018. Archived from the original on 8 November 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  16. ^ "Zero, Race 3 and Thugs of Hindostan: Presenting the Khans' box-office report of 2018". The Indian Express. 31 December 2018. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  17. ^ Gupta, Shubhra (13 November 2020). "Ludo review: Hijinks in the time of Corona". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  18. ^ Kumar, Pradeep (13 November 2020). "'Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari' movie review: Manoj Bajpayee shines in this comedy". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  19. ^ "Ajeeb Daastaans movie review: Neeraj Ghaywan saves Karan Johar's uneven Netflix film from disaster". Hindustan Times. 16 April 2021. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  20. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Modern Love Mumbai's Fatima Sana Shaikh on overcoming fear of being lead actor: Kitna darega insaan". Pinkvilla. 19 May 2022. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  21. ^ Kumar, Anuj (13 May 2022). "'Modern Love: Mumbai' review: A slam-dunk of an anthology if ever there was one". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 19 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  22. ^ "Anil Kapoor teams up with son Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor for Netflix's film Thar". India Today. 21 February 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  23. ^ "Thar Movie Review: Thar is worth watching for its plot, direction, music score". Bollywood Hungama. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  24. ^ "Filmfare OTT Awards 2022 - Nominations". filmfare.com. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  25. ^ "Dhak Dhak stars Dia Mirza, Ratna Pathak, Fatima Shaikh, Sanjana Sanghi ride from Delhi to Khardung La, set record". India Today. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  26. ^ "69th Filmfare Awards :Ranbir Kapoor's Animal leads with 19 nods, check full nomination list".
  27. ^ "Vicky Kaushal welcomes Dangal girls Sanya Malhotra, Fatima Sana Shaikh onboard Sam Manekshaw biopic". The Indian Express. 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  28. ^ "Sam Bahadur Box Office Collection Day 3: "Stands On Its Feet Despite A Hurricane Called Animal"". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  29. ^ Shekhar, Mayank (1 December 2023). "'Sam Bahadur' movie review: Played it too straight, Sam?". Mid-Day. Archived from the original on 2 December 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  30. ^ Pathak, Prannay (1 December 2023). "Sam Bahadur movie review: Facile and forgettable vignette reel powered by Vicky Kaushal". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  31. ^ "Metro... In Dino Trailer Out: Aditya Roy Kapur Sara Ali Khan Anupam Kher Neena Gupta Pankaj Tripathi Konkona Sen Sharma Ali Fazal And Fatima Sana Shaikh Are All Set To Bring Retro's Story On The Big Screens". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  32. ^ "Metro In Dino Review: Anurag Basu Delivers Masterclass On Modern Love, Pritam's Music Adds To The Magic". News18. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  33. ^ "'Aap Jaisa Koi' trailer: R Madhavan, Fatima Sana Shaikh in a romance of equals". The Hindu. 25 June 2025. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  34. ^ "The Times Most Desirable Woman of 2020: Rhea Chakraborty - Living through a trial by fire, gracefully - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  35. ^ "Fatima Sana Shaikh Shares Throwback Pic From The Sets Of Chachi 420, Featuring Tabu". NDTV.com. 19 March 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  36. ^ "Movie Review: Akaash Vani". Mid-Day. Mumbai. 26 January 2013. Archived from the original on 19 May 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  37. ^ "4 Years of Dangal: Sanya Malhotra shares unseen BTS pictures featuring the cast including Aamir Khan". Bollywood Hungama. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  38. ^ Bhowal, Tiasa (28 October 2020). "What Fatima Sana Shaikh learnt from the Thugs of Hindostan debacle: Interview". India Today. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  39. ^ "Anurag Basu's upcoming film Ludo featuring Abhishek Bachchan, Rajkummar Rao to release on 24 April 2020". Firstpost. 27 December 2019. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  40. ^ "सूरज पे मंगल भारी ने दर्शकों को द‍िखाया स‍िनेमाघरों का रास्‍ता, द‍िलजीत बोले #ChaloCinema". News18 India. 16 November 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  41. ^ "Karan Johar unveils teaser of Netflix anthology Ajeeb Daastaans which is set to premiere on 16 April". Bollywood Hungama. 19 March 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  42. ^ "'Dhak Dhak': Fatima Sana Shaikh, Ratna Pathak Shah, Dia Mirza and Sanjana Sanghi promise a ride of a lifetime". The Times of India. 16 May 2022.
  43. ^ Khan, Abubakr. "Film Review: Sam Bahadur". Bru Times News.
  44. ^ "Anurag Basu's Metro In Dino starring Aditya Roy Kapur, Sara Ali Khan to release on November 29, 2024". Bollywood Hungama. 19 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  45. ^ "Fatima Sana Shaikh On Her Role In Aap Jaisa Koi: 'Was Interesting To Play A Bengali Woman, They Are Strong & Sensual'". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  46. ^ "Vijay Varma and Fatima Sana complete 'Ul Jalool Ishq'; Manish Malhotra hosts wrap-up party". The New Indian Express. 19 March 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  47. ^ "Aneet Padda to star in OTT series 'Nyaya' with Fatima Sana Shaikh".
  48. ^ "Fatima Sana Shaikh: five things you didn't know". Hindustan Times. 10 January 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  49. ^ "Lucky Nikki turns two". Deccan Herald. 2 June 2012. Archived from the original on 26 January 2020.
  50. ^ "'Palkein Kholo': Fatima Sana Shaikh turns director for Vishal Bharadwaj's music video". DNA India. 3 September 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  51. ^ "Screen Awards 2017 nominations announced". Screen. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  52. ^ "Dangal girls Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra win action award in China". Mid-Day. 23 July 2018. Archived from the original on 10 April 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  53. ^ Frater, Patrick (30 July 2019). "Jackie Chan Reignites Action Film Week in China". Variety. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  54. ^ "Filmfare OTT Awards 2022". filmfare.com. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  55. ^ "Nominations for the 69th Hyundai Filmfare Awards 2024 with Gujarat Tourism: Full list out". Filmfare. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fatima Sana Shaikh.