When Amitabh Bachchan's act in Thugs Of Hindostan made Fatima Sana Shaikh cry

Actress Fatima Sana Shaikh was first seen in Aamir Khan’s Dangal (2016). Her performance in the film saw her being roped in for the action-adventure Thugs Of Hindostan by Yash Raj Films. The upcoming film's trailer was released yesterday (27 September). If her first film was a rare opportunity to come by, Thugs Of Hindostan is nothing but a dream come true, for the young actress shares the big screen with biggies from Hindi cinema like Amitabh Bachchan, Katrina Kaif and Aamir Khan.

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In the upcoming film, Shaikh plays Zafira, a warrior-archer operating under the command of Khudabaksh Azaad (Amitabh Bachchan). While in Dangal she played a wrestler, Thugs Of Hindostan has her as the master of archery. 

When asked about the challenges she faced in playing the role, Shaikh said, “These guys made me train real hard. After Dangal, I’m again into it [physical training]. It was fun though because I got to do archery for the first time. Dangal was very grounded sort. I needed to be more agile here. It was difficult, but it was great fun.” 

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Working with Bachchan was another learning experience for Shaikh. “For me, everyday was like going to school. I was learning so much. When I first saw him [Amitabh Bachchan], I couldn’t really say anything. I’m a big fan of him,” she said.

Sharing the screen space with Bachchan is an honour, but Shaikh soon felt intimidated by the talent around her. While shooting for a particular scene, she was reduced to tears by Bachchan’s intense act. 

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Talking about the incident, Shaikh said, “We have one scene, where the camera is to capture my reactions. The camera was on me. I just started crying. I was affected by how he was performing. I felt as though, he was really saying those things, well he was saying as part of the sequence. The dedication with which he and others work, I was scared that I might not be able to match any of them,” the actress said. 

Thugs Of Hindostan is set to be released on 8 November.