FATIMA’S TAKE ON THE SHIFT IN BOLLYWOOD
The actor feels that consistency is important to survive in Bollywood
In recent times, films of the socalled stars of Bollywood have failed to create box office magic like they used to. So, is this a sign that the star system is slowly on its way to becoming non-existent? Fatima Sana Shaikh opines that the “film industry has always been welcoming towards talent”.
The actor further elaborates, “Even Johnny Walker was not a conventional hero but he did so well. There seems to be a shift now but honestly I feel that it has been happening for a long time and in every decade. You can have one big film but if there is no consistency, you won’t survive.”
After a successful stint as a child actor, it is never too easy to make a comeback as an adult. But Fatima did it in spades with Dangal (2016). She followed it up with the multistarrer, big budget, Thugs of Hindostan (2018) which failed to create the same magic at the box office. And there is a shift in her career now. The 28-yearold’s upcoming slate of films – Anurag Basu’s small-town set anthology film and the quirky comedy Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari are different from her earlier projects.
“People have started accepting such films. It’s not just that, even the audience is accepting such films and wants to watch unconventional heroes and heroines. Probably, they were not ready before, but now people are curious and they want to watch such films. Maybe after a few years that may change, who knows,” she explains.
The actor, who is currently shooting for Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari in which she co-stars along with actor Manoj Bajpayee and Diljit Dosanjh, says that be it young or old, she loves working with good actors, especially because she gets to learn from them.
“I go to the set as a student, no matter who my co-star is. I am also just two films old. I am very new. I am still learning a lot. Age does not matter to me. An actor might be young but his approach might be that of an experienced actor. You connect to people through their work and ideology, not age,” she concludes.