'Beauty like Deepika Padukone or Katrina Kaif only criteria to get big roles' - Fatima was almost made to believe

Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif are undoubtedly two of the prettiest Bollywood faces, but is beauty the only factor that decides an aspiring actress' future in the industry? Well, Fatima Sana Shaikh was almost made to believe this, before she bagged Dangal.

Fatima shared her experience of how people used to discourage her during her struggling days. Fatima, who had made her debut as a child artist in Chachi 420 (1997), revealed that she had to struggle a lot of to make a comeback in the industry as an adult actress.

She said that she was often discouraged for her looks, and was told that she would not get big roles as she did not have the "looks of a heroine" like Deepika or Katrina.

"I have been a child actor. I quit but making a comeback after that was difficult. I was not getting any work. People used to tell me I don't look like Deepika Padukone or Katrina Kaif. They said, since I didn't have the looks of a heroine, I should do whatever I'm offered. There have been many incidents where I was told that I was not good enough," the actress told PTI.

Fatima further said that it is only after Dangal that her fortune changed, and she got the privilege to choose a script.

"Before 'Dangal', I never had the chance to choose my projects. I even did 'Dangal' because that was my only option at that time. Every actor goes through this. That's how things function. But I am happy that post the film and especially after 'Thugs of Hindostan', I have the space to choose," she said.

Fatima was highly praised for her performance in Dangal, following which she had bagged Aamir's next big film Thugs of Hindostan. However, the second film could not impress the audience, and ended up being a flop.