Fatima Sana Shaikh

Fatima Sana Shaikh is an Indian actress known for her work in Hindi films. She began acting as a child artist before transitioning into adult roles across feature films and streaming projects.

Shaikh was born on 11 January 1992 in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, and raised in Mumbai. Her father, Vipin Sharma, is a Hindu from Jammu, and her mother, Raj Tabassum, is a Muslim from Srinagar. Shaikh identifies as an atheist. Prior to pursuing acting full-time, she gained experience in photography. She has also spoken publicly about living with epilepsy to help raise awareness about the neurological condition.

Shaikh started her career as a child artist with roles in films such as Chachi 420 (1997) and One 2 Ka 4 (2001). She later played Zoya in the drama film Tahaan, which won The German Star of India award at the Bollywood and Beyond festival in Stuttgart, Germany, in 2009.

Her breakthrough came in 2016 when she was cast as wrestler Geeta Phogat in Nitesh Tiwari's biographical sports drama Dangal alongside Sanya Malhotra and Aamir Khan. To prepare for the role, she underwent auditions, physical training, and workshops, and studied wrestling videos under the guidance of coach Kripa Shankar Patel Bishnoi. Dangal received critical acclaim and became the highest-grossing Indian film of all time, earning over ₹2,000 crore worldwide.

Following Dangal, Shaikh appeared in the 2018 epic action-adventure film Thugs of Hindostan as the warrior-archer Zafira Baig. In 2020, she starred in the ensemble project Ludo opposite Rajkummar Rao and the comedy Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari opposite Diljit Dosanjh. She continued working in digital and feature releases, appearing in the anthology film Ajeeb Daastaans in 2021, followed by the series Modern Love Mumbai and the film Thar in 2022. For her performance in Thar, she earned a nomination for Best Actress in a Web Original Film at the Filmfare OTT Awards.

In 2023, Shaikh played a female motorbike traveler in Dhak Dhak, a role that earned her a nomination for the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress. That same year, she portrayed Indira Gandhi in the biographical drama Sam Bahadur alongside Vicky Kaushal. In 2025, her projects included playing a working wife in Metro... In Dino opposite Ali Fazal and a French instructor in Aap Jaisa Koi opposite R. Madhavan. Additionally, Shaikh was ranked at No. 48 on The Times Most Desirable Women list in 2020.