Fatima Sana Sheikh opens up about her social and social media life

Fatima Sana Shaikh has impressed netizens with her girl-next-door avatar on her social media accounts which is a trove that abounds in candid portraits, street photography, snapshots with animals and photographs from vacations. “I feel like capturing the beauty of everyday life,” Fatima says. For the Dangal (2016) actor, designing a strategy for using social media would tamper with who she really is.

I’ve no strategy when it comes to social media. I’ve always uploaded the things I wanted to. It is an extended part of me and that’s what is interesting to other people. If my fans like me on my social media, then there’s nothing better than that because you don’t have to pretend to be somebody else. I’m happy that people love me for who I’m.

I love them. That’s why you’ll see a lot of pictures of me with animals on my social media page. My brother and I foster kittens. If an animal is in some kind of trouble, we make sure that we take them to a shelter for help. It’s something that has been a part of us because I’ve seen my father doing it.

I love street photography because there’ so much to see. I feel like capturing the beauty of everyday life. I always have interesting conversations with the people who I capture through my lens. I randomly approach people and then ask them if they’ll be okay with me clicking them because I’ve been rebuked a couple of times for not taking their permissions (laughs).

Social media is an outlet for a lot of people. There are a lot of actors who still aren’t on these platforms. The fact that I’m on social media isn’t born out of necessity but I enjoy being on it. If I feel like I’m not enjoying it, I’ll delete my accounts. I don’t take the stress of uploading something new every day.

We’re so busy with our phones even in the company of family and friends that we miss out on the present. I’ve two phones currently, one is my work phone and the other is my personal phone which has no social media applications apart from WhatsApp. I’m trying to find a balance and a way so that I can enjoy the moments in the present.