Bollywood actress Fatima Sana Shaikh, best known for her role in Aamir Khan’s Dangal, has issued a clarification regarding recent reports suggesting she criticized the South Indian film industry.
The controversy stemmed from an old interview in which she spoke about encountering the casting couch during her initial visits to Hyderabad.
In that interview, Fatima revealed that a casting agent once asked if she was “ready to do everything” for a role. She stated an uncomfortable encounter she experienced in Hyderabad when a couple of individuals approached her with film offers.
However, her remarks were widely misinterpreted as a blanket criticism of the Telugu or South Indian film industries, prompting backlash.
Setting the record straight, Fatima said: “I want to clear the air. I never meant to say the entire South film industry is like that. It was just one particular incident. I mentioned it in passing, and suddenly it became this huge controversy.”
Fatima emphasized that she has deep respect for the South Indian film fraternity.
