Aamir Khan on Casting Fatima Sana Shaikh in Thugs of Hindostan
Recently, Aamir Khan spoke about the casting of Fatima Sana Shaikh in the film Thugs of Hindostan, after working with her in Dangal. In an interview with Lallantop, Aamir revealed that many top actresses had refused the role before Fatima was selected.
He said, “When we were casting for the film, actresses like Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, and Shraddha Kapoor all said no. The role was offered to many in the industry, but no one agreed to do it. Then Victor (director Vijay Krishna Acharya) and Adi (producer Aditya Chopra) said that Fatima gave a great screen test. But they also said, ‘We won’t show any romance between you and Fatima. In Dangal, she played your daughter. Now if she becomes your love interest, the audience might reject it.’”
Aamir disagreed with this logic. He said, “I don’t believe in such things. In real life, I am neither her father nor her boyfriend. We are just actors working on a story. Amitabh Bachchan has played both the lover and the son of actresses like Rakhi and Waheeda Rehman in different films. That’s common in our industry.”
He further added, “Sometimes an actor plays a brother, sometimes a husband, or even a father with the same co-actor in different films. The audience is not foolish. We underestimate them. Just because I played Fatima’s father in one film doesn’t mean I can’t play her love interest in another. Similarly, Shah Rukh Khan can play different kinds of roles with the same actress – romantic or family-related – and the audience understands that.”
There were also rumors about Aamir and Fatima having an affair during that time. These rumors became quite popular, but Fatima denied them in an interview with Filmfare. She said such news hurt her and were completely baseless.
Fatima Sana Shaikh Filmography
Fatima Sana Shaikh began her acting career as a child artist, with notable early roles in films like Chachi 420 (1997), Bade Dilwala (1999), and One 2 Ka 4 (2001). She received early praise for her role in Tahaan (2008), and later appeared in supporting parts in Bittoo Boss (2012) and Akaash Vani (2013). Her breakthrough came in 2016 with Dangal, where she portrayed wrestler Geeta Phogat, earning critical acclaim and national fame. Following that, she starred in Thugs of Hindostan (2018) alongside Aamir Khan. In the digital space, she impressed in Netflix’s Ludo (2020), Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari (2020), and anthology films like Ajeeb Daastaans (2021) and Thar (2022).
Fatima also played a key role in the women-centric film Dhak Dhak (2023) and portrayed Indira Gandhi in Sam Bahadur (2023). She has ventured into OTT series as well, including Modern Love Mumbai (2022). Her upcoming projects include Metro In Dino and Ul Jalool Ishq, both set for release in late 2024, and Aap Jaisa Koi, a romantic drama scheduled for 2025. With a growing range of performances in cinema and web series, Fatima continues to prove her versatility and strong presence in Indian cinema.
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