Fatima Sana Shaikh reflects on living a dream she once thought impossible

Mumbai, Dec 17 (IANS) Actress Fatima Sana Shaikh recently reflected on her remarkable journey as she opened up about how she is now living a dream she once thought was beyond her reach.

Expressing gratitude for her achievements, she shared an inspiring message about perseverance, self-belief, and embracing opportunities that once seemed unimaginable. Taking to Instagram, the ‘Dangal’ actress celebrated a major milestone in her career. She received her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her performance in the short film “Ayesha.” Sharing her joy on social media, she described holding the iconic Black Lady trophy as “surreal and magical.”

Fatima Sana Shaikh captioned the post, “Received my first @filmfare award Best Actress for Ayesha, a short film directed by @misterbistar And produced by @motwayne @shikhajain10 Bohot hi zyaada khush hoon aaj! Holding the Black Lady in my hands feels surreal and magical..”

“My younger self never allowed herself to dream this big. And yet, here I am.. living a dream I didn’t even give myself permission to imagine. Really grateful of everything i have today. @jiteshpillaai @filmfare thank you for making this real for me.”

Filmmaker Nihit Bhave’s short film Ayesha, starring Fatima Sana Shaikh, Vaishnavi Ratna Prashant, and Kshitee Jog, premiered at Tokyo’s Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia in June and competed for a nomination in the short film categories at the 2025 Oscars.

In his post on social media, Nihit had written, “I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that our short film premieres at the Oscar-qualifying @ssff.official this June, and we’re in the Asia-International competition.”

Meanwhile, Fatima Sana Shaikh rose to prominence for her role as freestyle wrestler Geeta Phogat in the 2016 biographical sports drama “Dangal,” directed by Nitesh Tiwari. The film also starred Aamir Khan as Mahavir Singh Phogat and Sanya Malhotra as Babita Phogat.

Following the success of “Dangal,” she appeared in films including “Thugs of Hindostan,” “Bittoo Boss”, “Akaash Vani,” “Ludo,” “Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari”, “Ajeeb Daastaans,” “Thar,” and “Dhak Dhak.”

She was last seen in Metro... In Dino, which was released in July 2025. She also made an appearance in Vivek Soni's family drama, “Aap Jaisa Ko.”