Juhi Chakraborty (HINDUSTAN TIMES; January 11, 2020)

Her last release was Thugs of Hindostan in 2018, and since then Fatima Sana Shaikh has been absent from the big screen. However, the actor during this period was busy shooting for films that will hit the theatres this year beginning with Anurag Basu’s ensemble cast film, Ludo.

“This year is good for me. Bhoot Police got pushed but I got Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari. I started shooting for the film with Manoj Bajpayee and Diljit Dosanjh, this year. Also, my other projects will be out, which includes Ludo and also a short film. I’m hoping that Suraj... will also release this year. Other than that, I’ll be working on other projects. I’m having a lot of fun shooting for this film,” shares Fatima.

The actor, who turns 28 today, is going to have a working birthday as she is currently filming Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari. But Fatima is not complaining. “As a kid, I used to eagerly wait for surprises. But, now, I just don’t want anyone to give me any surprises. I don’t think I could’ve asked for a better way to celebrate my birthday. The greatest gift that an actor can ever get is ki kaam mil raha hai. I want to work and I’m happy doing that,” says Fatima, who started her acting career as a child with Chachi 420 (1997). It was in 2016 that she re-entered Bollywood as an adult with Aamir Khan’s Dangal.

Fatima may not have any grand birthday celebration plans, but the actor does have a birthday wish. “I want to be on a film set every day of my life. I just want to keep getting more and more work,” she says.

The actor also has one more unfulfilled wish and that is to work with Shah Rukh Khan. And if reports are to be believed, then this dream might come true soon. However, Fatima says she has not signed a film with Khan yet. “I don’t know that something like this is on the cards. Working with Shah Rukh is my biggest dream. If I do get to work with him, main tyag doongi har cheez. That’s it for me. All the dreams that I have with films will get fulfilled when that happens. As of now, I don’t know anything about it, but I would love to work with him,” says Fatima.