The reason we used the word “agrees” is because Aditya Chopra was never keen to sign Fatima Sana Shaikh for ‘Thugs of Hindostan’. He was more into signing his own protégée, Vaani Kapoor. Aamir Khan wasn’t too keen on Vaani, so they had to keep looking. Little did they know that Aamir already had his onscreen dangaloo in mind. Aamir wanted Fatima to be part of TOH. Maybe it was Fatima, who wanted the role so bad, who knows. But, Aditya had his apprehensions about Fatima since she played Aamir’s daughter in ‘Dangal’. According to Rajeev Masand, the lead actress in this film will be opposite Aamir and will share a kissing scene with him.
Fatima Sana Shaikh in Thugs of Hindostan
Here’s what Rajeev posted about TOH on 24th of February 2017:
Lately, industry insiders have been gossiping that the makers of Thugs are having trouble landing an actress for the film. Deepika Padukone, who was among the first to be approached, reportedly turned down the gig because she wasn’t exactly ecstatic about her role in the story, or the overall script for that matter. Alia Bhatt is believed to have politely declined as well. A source close to the studio reveals that Aamir was keen that his Dangal co-star Fatima Sana Shaikh be considered for the role, but Aditya Chopra expressed reservations.
Turns out that although Aamir’s character doesn’t have an overtly romantic track with the female lead, there is a dream sequence in which the characters share a kiss. Chopra didn’t think the audience would approve of Aamir sharing any kind of romantic intimacy with an actress who has played his daughter. Last heard, the makers were in talks with Shraddha Kapoor for the part.
Fatima was called to Yash Raj, where she auditioned for the role. Maybe she thought that since Aamir recommended her, she would get the role. She was asked about since rumours were going around about her involvement in this project. This is what she had to say.
When Fatima was asked in March 2017, here’s what she had to say about it:
I am not playing any role (in ‘Thugs of Hindostan’). If I get it then good. Someone please give me a role in that film I want to do ‘Thugs of Hindostan’.
Aditya wasn’t convinced about her and decided to get Shraddha Kapoor. Everything went fine, except that Shraddha reportedly asked Aditya for more money; more than the amount of money that Katrina Kaif was paid for ‘Dhoom 3’, to be precise. This was reported by Rajeev Masand on 5th of May 2017.
Here’s what he said:
According to the Bollywood grapevine, Shraddha Kapoor, who was being hotly considered for a key role in the Aamir Khan-Amitabh Bachchan starrer Thugs of Hindostan, may have lost the project after she reportedly asked producer Aditya Chopra to hike her fee from the Rs 1 crore pay-cheque he was offering her. A source close to the developments reveals that the Aashiqui 2 star trotted off to YRF Studios to discuss monies with her producer, instead of letting her agents do it for her, as is the practice. She is believed to have asked Adi to pay her more than he paid Katrina Kaif for Dhoom 3—so far the most the studio has paid a female actor (a reported Rs 3 crore).
Shraddha is not even on the same level of stardom that Katrina was when she signed ‘Dhoom 3’. Aside from that, Kat had such a bad experience shooting for ‘Dhoom 3’ that she vowed she will never sign a film opposite Aamir. Not that she had anything against Aamir, but that film took so long to make and she had nothing else to do. She trained so much for her role and what was left onscreen was a heavily edited small portion of her. What else did she expect? There were 2 Aamir Khans in this film, so ample time was given to his characters. Anyways, Shraddha was shown the door and suddenly, the makers realized they are going to start shooting soon with no female lead.
That’s when they decided to give in to Aamir and just take Fatima. Fatima also was smart in this process. Aside from the blind item that suggested she was asking Aamir to get her roles, she also did her part in supposedly leaking the picture of her in character for TOH. That picture generated only positive responses, which made the makers of TOH sit up and take notice. Here’s the official statement, which was released on 5th of May 2017.
Official Statement from Yash Raj Films
Fatima Sana Shaikh Joins Yash Raj Films’ Thugs of Hindostan Along with Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan05 May 2017
Fatima Sana Shaikh, who made an impressive debut with Dangal, joins the star-studded cast of Yash Raj Films’ forthcoming mega project Thugs of Hindostan. Co-starring Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan, writer-director Vijay Krishna Acharya will be directing the film.
This is the second time Vijay Krishna Acharya (Victor) will be directing Aamir Khan after the blockbuster Dhoom 3. Thugs of Hindostan unites Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan onscreen for the first time and promises to be a larger than life, grand cinematic experience.
Writer-director Vijay Krishna Acharya said, “The role of the girl is pivotal to the film so it was crucial for us to find the perfect fit. Through a rigorous round of auditions and action workshops, we found in Fatima a truly dedicated actor and a gifted performer of action. We are very happy to have found the perfect girl for our film.”
The film begins shooting on June 1. Watch out for more details on the film in this space and keep counting the time till its release date of Diwali 2018.
What is the female lead role about?
The heroine’s role is sketchy. Whoever plays the part will have little to do. The dramatic conflict is between Bachchan Saab and Khan Saab. In fact when Hrithik Roshan was supposed to do Thugs Of Hindostan he had pointed out this shortcoming in the script to Adi Chopra, and Adi had agreed with Hrithik. But instead of working on the heroine’s role he changed the hero instead.
Hopefully, this film works out for Fatima and doesn’t take a long time to hit the screens. She will have nothing else to work on except this film because the release date is Diwali next year. We just have to wonder whether she really didn’t get any offers after ‘Dangal’ or she was extra choosy and wanted to pin all of her hopes on a movie with Aamir?