Actress Fatima Sana Shaikh will be one of the personalities joining NDTV Yuva 2026. Ahead of her appearance at the event, here’s a look back at her journey.
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Fatima Sana Shaikh has been a part of the Hindi film industry since her childhood.
Born on January 11, 1992 in Hyderabad and brought up in Mumbai, the actor started his career as a child artist with films. Chachi 420 (1997) and One 2 ka 4 (2001).
Years later, Shaikh returned to the big screen with a role in the 2008 film Tahaan, in which she played the role of Zoya. The film received “The German Star of India Award” at the 2009 Bollywood and Beyond Festival in Stuttgart, Germany.
Sheikh’s big breakthrough came in 2016 with Nitesh Tiwari the riot. She was cast as wrestler Geeta Phogat alongside Sanya Malhotra, who portrayed Babita Phogat. Both actors went through five rounds of auditions, physical training and workshops with Tiwari and Aamir Khan before being selected for the film.
To prepare for the role, Sheikh watched several wrestling videos to understand “how the wrestlers move, how they move, their body language”. He and Malhotra were also trained by coach and former wrestler Kripa Shankar Patel Bishnoi.
Released in 2016, the riot received critical acclaim and became the highest-grossing Indian film of all time, grossing over Rs 2,000 crore worldwide. While reviewing the film.
are following the riotSheikh was featured in the 2018 action-adventure film Things from Indiawhere she played the role of Zafira Baig, a warrior-archer. However, the film underperformed at the box office.
In 2020, Shaikh appeared in Ludo, where she played a wife struggling to prove her husband’s innocence opposite Rajkumar Rao. In this he also worked with Diljit Dosanjh Sun and Mars heavyPlaying the role of a traditional woman.
The actor continued to explore various characters on streaming platforms. In 2021, he featured in Strange TalesPlaying the role of an unhappy wife whose character is played by Jaideep Ahlawat.
Sheikh had two releases in 2022. Modern Love MumbaiShe played a Kashmiri housewife and a wife who begins to realize her worth.
She then appeared in Thar opposite Harshvardhan Kapoor in the role of a Rajasthani woman. Taran Adarsh also praised her performance. The role earned Shaikh a nomination at the Filmfare OTT Awards for Best Actress in a Web Original Film.
In 2023, Sheikh starred push pushwhere she played the role of a female motorcycle passenger. Her performance earned her a nomination for the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress.
In the same year, she played the role of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi Sam BahadurWith Vicky Kaushal and Sanya Malhotra. The film was based on the life of Field Marshal Sam Maneksha.
Recent releases
Shaikh made a comeback to films in 2025 Metro…in DinoIn which she played a working wife facing an unplanned pregnancy opposite Ali Fazal.
Later, he appeared in Just like youR plays an ambitious French instructor opposite Madhavan.
Apart from his acting career, Shaikh has also spoken publicly about his personal experiences of living with epilepsy to raise awareness about the neurological condition. She has also worked as a photographer before acting.
Shaikh was given rank no. Ranked 48th on The Times’ Most Desirable Women of 2020.