Fatima Sana Shaikh shares shocking casting couch experience in South films: 'You will do everything, right?'

Before impressing everyone with her portrayal of the Indian female wrestler Geeta Phogat in Aamir Khan-starrer Dangal, Fatima Sana Shaikh tried her luck in the South Indian film industry as a leading lady. The actress has now shared how she faced casting couch when she auditioned for roles in the south.

Talking to Bollywood Bubble, Fatima recalled an uncomfortable interaction with a casting agent. She shared, "He asked me, ‘You will be ready to do everything, right?’ I told him that I will be working hard and will do what is required for the role, but he kept saying that, and I played dumb because I wanted to see how low can he get."

Fatima further added, "The producers would talk about it very openly, ‘You know, here you have to meet people’. They wouldn’t say things outright but would imply them in strange ways. Of course, they’d say it indirectly but make their intentions clear. They’d say things like, ‘You have to meet people’, or ‘You have to do this and that.'"

The actress began her acting career as a child artiste when she worked in popular movies such as Ishq and Chachi 420. After Dangal, Fatima also played pivotal roles in Ludo, Ajeeb Daastaans, and her last release Sam Bahadur, in which she was seen portraying the former Indian PM Indira Gandhi.

Fatima will be seen next in Metro...In Dino, which is the spiritual sequel of the 2007 hit Life in a...Metro. Directed by Anurag Basu, the upcoming romantic drama also features Aditya Roy Kapur, Sara Ali Khan, Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta, Pankaj Tripathi, Konkona Sen Sharma, and Ali Fazal in leading roles. Metro...In Dino was slated to release on November 29, 2024, but has been postponed.