girl, uninterrupted

Fatima Sana Shaikh is so candid and forthright you don't believe she's a star.

She's been part of the industry since a young age and hence has seen it all. Some of the things a child has no business seeing. Her experiences made her grow up quickly. She laughs and says she's living in the reverse, slowly claiming her innocence back with each passing year. If you read between the lines, you'd know about her angst with over-ambitious parents. You'd catch a glimpse of her pain about abuse which every child actor goes through. There's no bitterness in her anymore about her circumstances. There's no silent passenger riding with her. She's exorcised her ghosts and has learnt to live free and on her own terms. She's exploring her boundaries as an actor with every release and slowly finding herself through the movies. She loves to talk and doesn't pull her punches. Her answers are dipped in sass as I ask...

As a child actor, were you ever in situations that a child should not be exposed to?

I definitely faced situations a child shouldn't be exposed to. Today, there are regulations like limited working hours and guardian supervision. When I was child artiste, I worked 15-hour days and overheard inappropriate adult conversations. My parents were present but once they set expectations for me, there wasn't much oversight.

Were your parents keen for you to be a child actor?

My parents were from Jammu and Kashmir and lived near Kamalistan and Filmistan studios. People from outside Mumbai are often fascinated by film shoots. My parents would go watch them every day, taking my brother and me along. At some point, they must have asked how to get their children into films. That's how the process began. Coming from a lower-middle-class background and knowing no one in Mumbai, they were just trying to survive.

We've heard about Daisy Irani and Sarika going through a lot of humiliation as child actors.