Fatima Sana Shaikh, who will be seen playing the role of Indira Gandhi in the upcoming film “Sam Bahadur,” has opened up about her experience portraying the iconic leader. In an interview with PTI, the actor revealed that she initially had doubts about her ability to pull off the role.
“I feel lucky to play this role. But to be honest, it took me a while to believe I could do it,” Shaikh said. “She (Meghna Gulzar, the director) was already convinced, but I wasn’t.”
She explained that the challenge lay in capturing the essence of Gandhi’s personality without relying on prosthetics. “We are not using prosthetics. It is slightly easier if you use prosthetics. Now, without prosthetics, I’m seeing a bit of me as well. So, I had to find the spirit of the character,” Shaikh said.
“If I’ve got the spirit right, then I’m in a safe place. She (Meghna) really helped me to find the spirit. I feel lucky I got to play this role.”
Shaikh’s co-star, Vicky Kaushal, who plays the titular role of Sam Manekshaw, praised her performance, describing it as “beautiful” to witness her transformation into Gandhi. “She is like, ‘Kya karna hai? kya karna hai?’ ‘(What should I do? What should I do?’) with her make-up on. Whatever her internal process was, she would get into it and then the scene would happen. As a co-actor, it was beautiful to see that process… Like people don’t know the before and after of a scene,” Kaushal said.
Director Meghna Gulzar also commented on Shaikh’s dedication to the role, revealing that they often had to remind her to relax on set. “We have done the ageing make-up (on her). When she makes those faces and has animated conversations, we would feel it might all (make-up) come out. We are like, ‘Calm down, sit still’,” Gulzar said.
Shaikh expressed her desire to connect with the audience through her performance. “Nothing is more satisfying than somebody coming up to you and saying, ‘Your performance moved me’. So, when you play a character that moves people, it feels really good. It has happened to me with ‘Dangal’. My endeavor has always been to give my best every time,” she said.
“Sam Bahadur,” produced by RSVP Movies, also features Sanya Malhotra. The film is slated to be released on December 1.
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