‘You discover real-life heroes through movies’

Mumbai: The life story of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw deserves to be told, said Fatima Sana Shaikh, who hopes her upcoming film ‘Sam Bahadur’, on the decorated war hero, will inspire the new generation. The film is directed by Meghna Gulzar and stars Vicky Kaushal in the title role.

Fatima, who plays former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the film, said working on the film was a learning experience for her. “ ‘Sam Bahadur’ will reach a lot of people. It will move and inspire a lot of people. A whole generation doesn’t know about him. I didn’t know about him. It’s okay. Through movies, you discover real-life heroes. Sometimes, you need somebody else to believe that this is the story that needs to be told and it’s a brave thing to do. It’s a larger-than-life character. It’s a responsibility that you are taking. It’s a huge risk and we all are looking forward to this film,” the actor told the top news agency.

Regarding her portrayal of Gandhi in the film, Fatima wasn’t sure if she could pull off the iconic character.

“I feel lucky to play this role. But to be honest, it took me a while to believe I could do it. Meghna was already convinced but I wasn’t. We have seen in the past that so many of them have played this role before, but what’s interesting in this film is I’m playing a younger Indira Gandhi,” she said.

It was critical to capture Gandhi’s essence and that’s why they chose to steer clear of prosthetics, she added.

“We aren’t using prosthetics. It’s slightly easier if you use prosthetics. Now, without prosthetics, I’m seeing a bit of me as well. So, I had to find the spirit of the character. If I’ve got the spirit right, then I’m in a safe place. Meghna really helped me to find the spirit. I feel lucky I got to play this role.”

Fatima said the audience’s reaction to her work is what matters the most to her.

“When you play a character that moves people, it feels really good. It has happened to me with ‘Dangal’.”