I’m not scared to explore different roles: Fatima Sana Shaikh

Actor Fatima Sana Shaikh says when she was younger, a lot of times, she would choose projects out of fear rather than excitement.

Shaikh, known for her roles in “Dangal”, “Dhak Dhak”, “Ajeeb Daastaans” and “Ludo”, said her approach towards selecting movies has changed now.

“I don’t think so much consciously about the kind of films I want to do. I do it very instinctively. Earlier, I used to do it with a lot of fear. Now, I feel like, ‘What will happen?’, like the film won’t work, but that’s okay. You learn from your failures. Now, I’m not scared to explore things. But when I was younger, I was scared to explore. I’ve chosen out of fear rather than excitement a lot of times,” she said.

The actor is looking forward to an excting slate of films — three releases that showcase her versatility in romantic dramas. She is also set to make her OTT debut with a series with Applause Entertainment.

“We are all so tired of dark movies. We don’t want to see bloodshed. We just want to sit and watch some romance because in everyone’s life, romance is missing. I have done a lot of love stories, and all three are releasing this year,” she said on the sidelines of India Global Forum here.

Shaikh, who would like to work with Imtiaz Ali, Rajkumar Hirani, and Anurag Kashyap, is reuniting with her “Ludo” director Anurag Basu for “Metro… In Dino”.

“I remember telling him, ‘I want to do all your films, I’ll do whatever you make’. In his films, the smallest character also is well-written. He is incredible as a maker. I wish he makes more films,” she said.

“Metro… In Dino”, is a follow-up to Basu’s 2007 movie “Life in a… Metro”. The anthology film, which is slated to release on July 4, will feature an ensemble cast of Aditya Roy Kapur, Sara Ali Khan, Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta, Pankaj Tripathi, Konkona Sensharma, and Ali Fazal.

Her next release, “Aap Jaisa Koi”, is a romantic drama that delves into the lives of two unique individuals, Shrirenu Tripathi, played by R Madhavan and Madhu Bose, essayed by Shaikh.

Shaikh said working with Madhavan was an enriching experience.

“There are some actors who won’t help you. He is not like that; he is going to go out of the way to help your,” she said.

Working with Naseeruddin Shah and Vijay Varma in “Ul Jalool Ishq” was fun and easygoing, she said.

“They give you space, that’s why if you see a lot of actors who worked with them, do well in a scene because they know that this is not their scene. So, they won’t manipulate the person or the actor. In fact, they will empower you.”

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In her debut OTT series, reportedly titled “Nyaya”, Shaikh will be seen as a cop.

It is a fictionalised series based on real events follows a 17-year-old girl seeking justice against a powerful godman or leader of a religious cult, who raped her, as per media reports.

“On OTT there’s a graph of the character, the writing is good. I enjoyed being part of it,” Shaikh said.