Fatima Sana Shaikh: I Get Affected By Rumours

Fatima Sana Shaikh reveals her vulnerable side in a heart-to-heart with Raghavendra Singh.

- Raghuvendra Singh

She played the tough Geeta Phogat, India’s first female wrestler to win the gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, in Aamir Khan’s Dangal and became an actor to reckon with. But Fatima Sana Shaikh insists as a person she hurts easily. So much so that when her second Aamir Khan starrer, Thugs of Hindostan sank, the emotional Fatima went off to Turkey to recover. She’s been around for around two decades – first as a child artiste in Chachi 420 and One 2 Ka 4 and then graduated to bit roles in Tahaan, Bittoo Boss and Akaash Vani… until Dangal pushed her into the big league. But even though stardom has befriended her, the games of glamour still seem unplayable to her. The fiercely private Fatima gets disturbed by rumours linking her with mentor Aamir Khan. A self-professed introvert, she’s concerned about how she’s perceived by people. She finds solace in honesty though, her accessory in this world of powder and pancake…

It’s said that you didn’t take the debacle of Thugs of Hindostan (TOH) well…

I took a while to collect myself. I was extremely disturbed. I cried a lot. I didn’t answer anyone’s phone, I didn’t step out of the house for a few days. After all, I had spent two years doing one film. I went off to Turkey with my brother. I didn’t want to deal with any kind of negativity. I’m an escapist by nature. I run away from problems. But the box-office result is something you can’t run away from. I read every review. I only wish that they hadn’t said it in such a mean or brutal way. But I guess it’s their job. Having said that, I didn’t want to deal with the sadness. Though I’ve dealt with rejection before.

What kind of rejection?