Fatima Sana Shaikh Details Being Assaulted In Public: 'That Incident Changed How I React'
Actor Fatima Sana Shaikh recently spoke with Hauterrfly about a traumatic incident that left a deep impact on her.
Actor Fatima Sana Shaikh recently spoke with Hauterrfly about a traumatic incident that left a deep impact on her. In a powerful and honest recounting, she revealed how a violent confrontation with a man who had inappropriately touched her changed her perspective on how women navigate public spaces and harassment.
“I Only Hit Him Because He Touched Me…”
Recounting a particularly distressing moment, Fatima said, “Once, a man had touched me inappropriately, and I hit him. But he hit me back so hard, that I was fully down. I only hit him because he touched me, but that pissed him off and he hit me to the point that I fell.”
This shocking incident, she revealed, altered how she approaches such situations even now. “After that incident, I got a little more cautious. I realised that we also have to check how to react in such situations,” she said, before pointing out the painful irony of it all:
“But look at the irony… something wrong is happening with us, and we only have to think how to react to it.”
Fatima also spoke about another unsettling encounter—this one occurring during the COVID-19 lockdown in Mumbai. She shared, “During the COVID-19 lockdown, I was riding my bicycle in Mumbai wearing a mask, and there was this tempo driver who kept honking and making weird sounds at me. And till the time I didn’t take a turn in my lane, he kept following me.”
These disturbing experiences highlight the continued vulnerability women face, no matter the time or place.
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“You Only Have to Be a Girl For It”
Reflecting on the widespread and normalised nature of gender-based harassment, Fatima summed it up succinctly: “You only have to be a girl for it.”
Her words underscore the exhausting emotional burden women bear when faced with everyday misogyny, even when they choose to stand up for themselves.
On the Work Front
Fatima was recently seen in Anurag Basu’s Metro…In Dino, where she starred opposite Ali Fazal. The film was lauded by both critics and audiences for its heartfelt storytelling and emotional depth.
Her latest film, Aap Jaisa Koi, just premiered on Netflix this Friday. Co-starring R. Madhavan, the film explores a mature and nuanced love story between two middle-aged individuals. Fatima’s character is seen standing her ground in a conservative family while also fighting for her right to love—mirroring the strength she shows in real life.
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