Did you know Fatima Sana Shaikh initially refused to play Indira Gandhi in Sam Bahadur?

Fatima Sana Shaikh is one of the most talented actresses in Bollywood. Last year, she delivered a terrific performance as the former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi in Sam Bahadur. Now, in a recent interview, Fatima made a surprising revelation. The actress revealed that she initially turned down the role. It was Meghna Gulzar who convinced her to play the part.

Fatima Sana Shaikh on playing Indira Gandhi in Sam Bahadur

Speaking with Bollywood Hungama, Fatima said, “I said no (laughs). I was like ‘I don’t think I am the right person’. Then Meghna said, ‘No, I think you are the right person’. I was like, ‘Theek hai, agar aapko lagta hai toh hum karte hain saath mein kaam’. I always wanted to work with Meghna Gulzar.”

Fatima went on to add that she saw old videos of Indira Gandhi to prepare for herself. The actress added, “Meghna was very clear what she wanted from me for Indira ji. She had curated everything for me. I have read about her life, childhood and everything she has done and contributed. I have seen her old videos, which Films Division also had. But Meghna decided what are the things she wanted to pick from the character and how much.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Fatima Sana Shaikh (@fatimasanashaikh)

Adding to that, Fatima also said that getting the make-up done to get the look of Indira Gandhi was a major challenge. She said, “It’s a very length process. You have to sit for three hours. Somehow you manage to do that. I think the biggest task for actors is to sit calmy when you are getting something like this done. You can’t move or do anything. That’s the most boring part of the day.”

Sam Bahadur also stars Vicky Kaushal as Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw and Sanya Malhotra as Silloo Manekshaw.

Also Read: Sam Bahadur: Vicky Kaushal and Fatima Sana Shaikh bring out the interesting dynamic between Sam Manekshaw and Indira Gandhi

Mamta Naik

Content Writer