22 September,2026 07:33 AM IST | Mumbai | Priyanka Sharma
Fatima Sana Shaikh
On paper, Fatima Sana Shaikh's character of ACP Jasleen Singh Soin was wafer-thin. Yet, the actor gave her nod to Hunkkaar: The Roar for a simple reason. She knew there was enough scope to flesh her character out, thanks to creators Nitya Mehra and Karan Kapadia. "This is my first cop role. What profession you play is not important, your character's motive is. Here, I knew there was a scope of a conversation between the makers and me to flesh out the character," she began.
The JioHotstar series sees Shaikh's cop investigate a case where a minor, portrayed by Aneet Padda, accuses a spiritual guru of sexual assault. The actor considers it one of her most creatively enriching experiences as the makers treated her as an equal. But that hasn't been Shaikh's experience in every room.
She elaborated, "In the same room, where they say they want you to play a strong part and lead a female-oriented project, they don't want to hear your voice. So, the irony is that they want you to play a character who has a voice, but they don't want you to voice your opinion."
The patriarchal attitude extends to women artistes too. Shaikh noted that many female artistes distance themselves from feminism. "Feminism is looked at as an abuse by them. It's shocking that there are actresses who say they aren't feminists. By being a feminist, I'm not snatching away a man's rights; I'm just asking for equal rights for myself," she said, before praising Priyanka Chopra. "Priyanka Chopra calls herself a feminist and has a huge male fan base. If your intention is clear and you aren't dumb about it, people will listen to you."
