Fatima Sana Shaikh celebrates ‘Sam Bahadur’s’ win at National Film Awards

Actress Fatima Sana Shaikh is all excited after her film “Sam Bahadur” received not one, not two, but three prestigious honours at the recently announced 71st National Film Awards. The Meghna Gulzar directorial was awarded the “Best Feature Film” on National, Social and Environmental Values, along with “Best Makeup” and “Best Costume Design.” Commemorating the significant achievement, Fatima congratulated the team, saying, “Huge congratulations to the team of ‘Sam Bahadur’ for bagging three incredible National Film Awards!! It’s truly a moment of honour.”

Showing her gratitude for being a part of this incredible journey, the ‘Dangal’ actress added, “I feel glad to be a part of the film and play the role of Smt. Indira Gandhi. Working with our director, Meghna Gulzar, was a dream, and it was truly a one-of-a-kind experience for me.” Made under the direction of Meghna Gulzar, “Sam Bahadur” narrates the inspiring journey of India’s first field marshal, Sam Manekshaw. Fatima stepped into the role of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the biographical drama.

Backed by Ronnie Screwvala, under the banner of RSVP Movies, the project starred Vicky Kaushal in the title role, along with Sanya Malhotra as Silloo Manekshaw, Manekshaw’s wife, Neeraj Kabi as Jawaharlal Nehru, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub as Gen. Yahya Khan, Darius Chinoy as Air Chief Marshal Pratap Chandra Lal., Elango Kumaravel as V. K. Krishna Menon, Vivek Bahl as Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and Sanjay Roy as Zakir Husain.

Released on Dec.1, 2023, “Sam Bahadur” is believed to have recorded a lifetime collection of 128.17 crore. On Tuesday, Fatima was all praises for her “most favourite co-actor” and “best guy ever” R Madhavan. Taking to her Instagram, she dropped a couple of precious moments with Madhavan from the sets of their romantic comedy “Aap Jaisa Koi”. She penned, “Maddy & Fatty... My most favourite co-actor!! Thank you for being so kind, generous, and for making this entire shoot feel easy and fun.” Fatima also thanked Madhavan for treating her with “perfect filter coffees” and his mother’s “sambar masala recipe.”

Meanwhile, as her film “Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery” was honoured with the Best Hindi Film award at the 71st National Film Awards, actress Sanya Malhotra talked about visiting Ghatigaon during the prep and how it deeply impacted her. Sanya took to Instagram, where she shared a string of behind-the-scenes stills from the film.

“During the prep for Kathal I remember Yasho and I driving to Ghatigaon meeting the people who inspired him to write this story changed something in me. I still remember sitting in that car holding onto the weight of what it meant to play Mahima. I was overwhelmed, humbled and so deeply grateful,” she shared. “Kathal — A Jackfruit Mystery,” is a satirical comedy drama film written by Ashok Mishra and directed by Yashowardhan Mishra for Netflix.

Indo-Asian News Service