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EXCLUSIVE: Geeta-Babita left us more starstruck than Aamir Khan - Dangal girls Sanya and Fatima get candid
Aamir Khan's Dangal is all set to hit the screens this week and people cannot wait for the movie. Ever since the film's first trailer hit the web, people are raving about it. And it is not just the story that has caught everyone's interest. But also the two girls - Sanya Malhotra and Fatima Sana Sheikh - who play the roles of Babita and Geeta Phogat respectively. The young girls make their debut with this big ticket film and even before it has released, audience and critics are going gaga over them and are raving about their performance.
Ahead of the film's release, we caught up with both Sanya and Fatima for a quick chat. Huddled in a room at a plus Mumbai hotel, the two young girls were patiently giving their interviews. Before they could begin our interview, the two sweetly asked if they could quickly order something to eat because they were hungry! Minutes after that, both Sanya and Fatima settled for the chat and here's what the girls spoke about. Check it out...
How did you both bag Dangal?
Sanya: So I moved to Bombay 3 years back aur ek saal maine ads kara. After doing one year of ads and struggling, I got a call from Mukesh Chhabra’s office for Dangal. I went there and gave the audition. The audition was good and after that it took them one month to shortlist. In the meantime, I used to read the news that Kangana Ranaut is playing the role of Geeta and it was one of the role for which I had auditioned. Then I used to think it is okay. If Kangana is finalized for Geeta, then I will play Babita's role. After one month, I got a call from their office that you have been shortlisted and you need to come down. Since I was not doing anything at that time, so I had gone to Delhi. As soon as I landed at the Delhi airport, I got a call from Mukesh Chhabra’s office saying 'Come back! You are shortlisted and Aamir Khan wants to meet you'. I was like Oh My God! Incidentally, it was my mother's birthday. So I met her for a while and came back. The next day I went there. Some 15-16 girls were there. I had thought that there would be only 5-6 girls so it would be easier to compete. There I saw Fatima too. By then we both were friends.
Fatima: We were like sisters since day one even though we were competing for the same role. We used to help each other out and after the audition we would go to a café and rehearse together and converse in Haryanvi with each other. But then we never knew we both would bag the film and play sisters. And it was a wonderful experience and with her it was even better because we used to go together for the audition, I used to pick her up on my red scooty. Our audition went around for a month and a half and it was quite mentally and physically processable because we were doing wrestling for 2 weeks with the National coach Kripa Shankar sir. But still we weren't sure that we had got the film.
So when did you’ll come to know that you’ll have been selected and you’ll have to start shooting for the film?
Sanya and Fatima: After one and a half months passed, we were called to Aamir sir's office. We reached his place and we both had thought that they will apologize to us for not being able to give us the roles. Then they came and everybody sat down we were just sitting aise and then Aamir sir told us, ‘Girls you’ll have got the film - you are Geeta and you are Babita'. We were like 'Hello! Where is the confetti? Cake kidhar hai cake? Party kahan hai? Nothing of that sort happened but it took us almost two weeks to sink in that we are there in the film.
How was it working with Aamir Khan? He is all praises for you two...
Sanya and Fatima: He’s been very generous in terms of love and support and because it is a very difficult project for us. The whole team has been very warm and very supportive koi bhi curve pe koi bhi turn pe there was no pressure on both of us. They were like we will make you do wrestling just look like wrestlers but the pressure was on both of us since we had to prove ourselves as actors. We had to give it all and prove ourselves.
So what were the difficulties you’ll face in getting the training for the entire sport?
Sanya: It was quite a difficult process physically for both of us. I thought that being a dancer it will be very easy for me but it was not. I used to be scolded by my coach and he used to tell me 'Arey ballet mat karna wrestling karna hai'. I used to do every move gracefully. They had to take out the ballet from me and I was asked to not to dance.
Fatima, you agree to that?
Yes I think it was only possible because our coach has pushed us and you know ek lagam hoti hai ki kab chodni hai kab pakadni hai. Toh unko full control tha humare upar. He never let us completely go and never pulled us hard that we couldn’t move ahead so I think to do anything for eight months every day to follow a routine it's very difficult until and unless its fun. If it's not fun it is like you are going to school. So he made the whole journey fun everyday he would make it different. He is so funny our country is very lucky to have him as the coach. All the credit goes to him and whatever you can see on screen is because of him. Aamir sir, Saira, Suhani, Sanya, me - it's only possible because he has directed us in the right way. I think he has a really big contribution to our project.
For girls, hair is the most important thing. Was it difficult to get them chopped off for the role?
Sanya: Not for me like because it's such a big project so then hair is nothing. It can always grow back. Also opportunities like these don’t come back.
Fatima: Actually for me, I thought I will cry a lot because I really loved my hair but after getting a haircut I was like I’m looking good (laughs)
Were you’ll intimidated by Aamir Khan?
Sanya and Fatima: He is a very simple and a nice man so with him we didn’t feel like we were working with a superstar. Because he is so down to earth. I think its because he is so warm and he is a perfectionist himself and he won’t put you under pressure and ask you to do this or that. When you are around him, you only want to reach his level.
Did you’ll meet Geeta and Babita respectively? What was the kind of meeting?
Sanya and Fatima: Yes we did. It was a very short meeting. We met them at the mahurat of the film and once they had come at a training but we didn’t really get to chit-chat much. But they are really sweet people. We used to watch their videos before training everyday so we had an idea. When we met them, we were so starstruck. It was like OH MY GOD! They are like gold medalist and it’s a big deal! For us, we were bigger fans of Geeta-Babita than of Aamir Khan kyunki starstruck toh hum unko dekhke utna nhi hue thei jitna Geeta-Babita ko dekh kar hue.
So did you’ll take any tips from them when you’ll were chit-chatting?
Sanya and Fatima: They came for training! Coach Kripa Shankar has coached them who is coaching us. So there was nothing required as such.
But generally when an actor plays somebody’s role who is a well known personality, it is a task for them. But Nitesh sir, our director, was very clear of what he wanted and because it's his baby he just knew what he wanted from us. All that we had to do was to listen to him and understand him and his thought process of the characters.
The trailer is loved by all. People are praising Aamir's work as well as your work. Does that make you both feel that the wait and effort is all worth it?
Sanya and Fatima: Of course yeah! It’s quite overwhelming you know because it still hasn’t sunk in. But we still want to be here around these guys and don’t want to go away from them because it's like a family now and we are glad that we are a part of it yaar! It's been a huge learning curve for us as a person and as an actor and we are taking a lot back from this project. We are taking acting lessons, life lessons and also luckily we got to be a part of Aamir Khan’s team. We are his interns now and even that opportunity is quite a big deal and it only came because of this project. It is going to be sad moving out of the comfort zone because we are spoilt. They have like spoilt both of us and are like family but we know that they are going to be always there.
What has been the best reaction that you guys have received for your performance in the film?
Sanya and Fatima: Shabana Azmi Ma’am and Karan Johar saw the film and their compliments made us cry. Shabana ma'am was so happy with our work. And it’s a big deal if Shabana Azmi says that you guys have done wonderful work and I think everytime when someone compliments us, we start crying. We are such cry babies. We can give a very good competition to Aamir sir in crying. We can cry on command.
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