Bollywood actress Fatima Sana Shaikh was appreciated for her winsome performances as a child artiste in films like 'Chachi 420' and 'One 2 Ka 4'.
But the actress expressed that her personal life suffered as a result of her inability to make friends and fit in with her peers during that time. One of the reasons she stopped working in the movies was because of this.
“One of the reasons I quit acting as a child artiste was because I missed being around kids my age. I didn’t have a core set of friends in school. I was always trying to fit in. But because I was not attending school (due to film commitments), I could not connect with my classmates. Likewise, since there were adults around on a film set, they couldn’t relate to me and treated me like a bachcha (child). '' Shaikh recalled.
She shares ''I wasn’t spending enough time with my peers in my class, I wasn’t getting any acceptance from them. Kids can be a little cruel sometimes."
They would think, ‘Achcha baahar badi star banti hai, hum dikhate hai isko’ ( oh well! she poses to be a big star outside, let us show her). You know many children get bullied in school, right? On one hand, I was managing shoots, which would go on for 16 hours non-stop, and on the other, I was managing school and exams. It wasn’t easy, so I decided to quit films.''
She didn't decide to pursue acting as a career until she reached adulthood.
Shaikh's new innings were marked by television shows like 'Agle Janam Mohey Bitiya Hi Kijo' and 'Ladies Special' which left her with some bitter experiences. Shaikh expressed her take on such experiences and states “I used to shoot for 13-14 hours at a stretch. Plus, the script would come to you minutes before the take.”
Continuing on the same vein, she adds “As an artiste, I didn’t enjoy this process at all. Some people enjoy this madness, I don’t. I like to be a little prepared. So, it was getting uncomfortable for me. I enjoy doing films because you get to play varied characters for a short span of time and then move on. Playing the same character for 15 hours every day, and that too, in a show which can run for as long as five years, was not my cup of tea.”
Shaikh ventured into movies once again with a stellar performance in 'Dangal' and has been in films like 'Ludo', 'Thugs Of Hindostan', 'Suraj Pe Mangal Bhaari' and 'Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari'.
Shaikh recently starred in the Hindi- language anthology titled 'Ajeeb Daastaans'.
