Fatima Sana Shaikh: I Was Molested When I Was 3; There's A Stigma Around Whole Sexual Abuse Issue

As sad as it sounds, but almost every girl has a story to tell about being molested at a very young age. Actress Fatima Sana Shaikh is no different. In her recent tete-a-tete with an entertainment portal, she revealed about being molested at the age of three.

She told Pinkvilla, "I was molested when I was just three years old. There is a stigma around the whole sexual abuse issue, which is why women even don't open up about being exploited in life. But I hope, today the world changes. There is more awareness and education about it. Pehle toh yehi kaha jaata tha that don't speak about it. People will think about it differently."

Fatima further stated that when she entered Bollywood, she met many obnoxious people who asked her for sexual favours to cast her in films. When asked if she has had any experience of facing casting couch, she shared, "Of course, I have faced the casting couch."

"I have been in situations where I have been told that the only way I get the job is by having sex. There are several times people have taken away work from me. There have also been times where I knew I was doing a film and I was replaced because of someone's reference," added Fatima while pointing at the culture of favouritism in the film industry.

With respect to work, Fatima's kitty is full of interesting projects like Ludo and Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari. While Ludo is directed by Anurag Basu and stars Abhishek Bachchan, Rajkummar Rao, Aditya Roy Kapur and Sanya Malhotra in the lead roles, Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari is helmed by Abhishek Sharma and casts Diljit Dosanjh and Manoj Bajpayee in the lead roles. It would be interesting to see Fatima in films.