Fatima Sana Shaikh not cast in The Wives, confirms Bhandarkar

Mumbai, September 22: Two women, same name, very different worlds. Over the past week, Fatima Sana Shaikh, the Mumbai actor who broke through with Dangal, and Fatima Sana, the Karachi fast bowler now captaining Pakistan’s World Cup squad, both landed in the news cycle. One was dragged into a rumour she did not ask for, the other was handed a responsibility she has been working toward since her teenage years.

Shaikh: Clearing The Air, Then Moving On

Bollywood gossip never sleeps, and Shaikh knows that better than most. A whisper about her signing on to Madhur Bhandarkar’s upcoming The Wives spread fast enough this week to feel like an official announcement. It was not. Bhandarkar himself told Hindustan Times that she was never attached to the project. Not signed, not cast, not even in the running.

If Shaikh sounded unbothered, it is probably because she already has her hands full with another project. A courtroom drama called Nyaya is taking shape, with Arjun Mathur in the lead and Canadian-Indian newcomer Aneet Padda recently joining the cast. Shaikh’s involvement signals she has not lost her appetite for dense, layered stories. She has never really been the sort of actor to play it safe.

In interviews, she has been just as unwilling to give safe answers. She recently said outright that patriarchy hurts men too, that men get mocked when they step outside prescribed roles. On the question of age-gap relationships, fertile ground for cheap headlines, she did not hedge. If both people have emotional intelligence, she argued, age becomes background noise. That kind of straight talk explains why she divides audiences: some think she is refreshingly blunt, others call it unnecessary provocation. Shaikh does not seem to mind either way.

Sana: A Young Captain’s Big Test

Across the border, Fatima Sana, the cricketer, has been handed her biggest test yet. At just 22, she has been named captain of Pakistan’s squad for the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025. It is a huge leap, and it comes with risk. The selectors picked seven debutants in a 15-member squad. That is nearly half a team of rookies. Bold, yes. Safe, not even close.

Sana, though, has sounded steady. In her ICC statement, she called self-belief and discipline the cornerstones of Pakistan’s campaign. She insisted the team will not walk into matches already beaten in their heads, no matter who stands opposite them. That is easier said than done when you are facing the likes of Australia or India, but it is the kind of captain’s line players need to hear.

For Pakistan women’s cricket, often sidelined and under-resourced, her elevation is more than a tactical decision. It is a statement. A signal that the future belongs to younger players willing to shoulder the weight, even if it means making mistakes in the process.

Two Paths, Same Pressure

What ties these stories together is not just the coincidence of a shared name. Both Fatimas are navigating the same basic struggle: being taken seriously on their own terms. Shaikh wants her filmography, not rumours, to define her. Fatima Sana wants to be judged for her cricket, not her gender or her age.

The stakes are different, box office chatter on one side and the unforgiving stage of a World Cup on the other, but the pressure is not. And that is why, in a news week full of noise, both stories cut through. They are not just updates on careers. They are reminders of how hard women still have to fight to be seen as professionals first and everything else later.

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Ayesha Khan

Entertainment Correspondent – Ayesha@hindustanherald.in – Web

Covers films, television, streaming, and celebrity culture with a focus on storytelling trends.

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