Fatima Sana Shaikh’s powerful persona was one she built with a lot of courage after fighting battles of a lifetime.
In an interview, Fatima spills the beans on her own inner struggles and the negativity she had to fight off in order to reach her Bollywood destination today.
Bravely, Shaikh spoke about horrifying incidents from her past. “I was molested when I was just three years old. There is a stigma around the whole sexual abuse issue, which is why women and even don’t open up about being exploited in life. But I hope, today the world changes. There is more awareness and education about it. Pehle toh yehi kaha jaata tha that don’t speak about it. People will think about it differently.”
Apart from being molested at the tender age of just three, Fatima also had to face the horrors of the ridiculous casting couch in order to land a role.
She said, “Of course, I have faced the casting couch. I have been in situations where I have been told that the only way I get the job is by having sex. There are several times people have taken away work from me. There have also been times where I knew I was doing a film and I was replaced because of someone’s reference.“