A graffiti of Fatima Sheikh appears in woke poison film Dorothy, directed by Karthik Subbaraj and produced by Gunjan Kapoor, presenting her as part of the film’s visual narrative.
The advantage of films is that not everything needs to be spelt out, like in books. The visual medium offers more space for the attentive one to spot subtle nuances. For e.g., see this frame from Dorothy that sheds light on the protagonist Karthik’s background. Did you note this? https://t.co/fYesT3pJZL
— CultureCheck (@culturecheckit) October 24, 2026
However, the graffiti brings renewed attention to author and activist Dilip Mandal’s January 2025 claim that he invented Fatima Sheikh, whose name appears in a 1991 book on Indian women’s writing.
Dilip Mandal Claims He Invented Fatima Sheikh
As reported in OpIndia, on January 9, 2025, Mandal posted on X, “Fatima Sheikh is a fictitious character. There is no historical evidence of her having done any significant work.”
While he deleted that post, we found a screenshot of it.
Mandal subsequently elaborated on his position in several posts. He also retweeted a 2023 post by Ambedkarite Central that featured a letter attributed to Savitribai Phule, claiming that this was the only instance in which Fatima Sheikh was mentioned. The post argued that there was no documentary evidence establishing Sheikh as a teacher or as someone who helped establish schools for Dalit children.
Responding to accusations that he was misrepresenting history, Mandal argued that records relating to Savitribai Phule should be available because she lived in relatively recent historical times. He challenged critics to produce evidence of Fatima Sheikh’s birthday being celebrated before 2006, saying that he would reconsider his claim if such a reference could be found.
In another post, he wrote, “Savitribai Phule is not a character from the Harappan era. She was a great social reformer of our times. Her story has been celebrated for the past 150 years. Old newspapers are available in libraries. Find even one reference to Fatima’s birth anniversary being celebrated before 2006. I will accept that I did not create Fatima.”
What Does the Historical Record Say?
Fatima Sheikh is widely described in contemporary media accounts as a colleague of Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule who supported their efforts to promote education among girls and marginalised communities in nineteenth-century India. She is also frequently presented as a pioneering Muslim woman educator and an anti-caste reformer.
Her profile gained considerable visibility in recent years. On 9 January 2022, Google marked what was described as her 191st birth anniversary with a Google Doodle. Wikipedia also has an article dedicated to her, while numerous media reports have presented her as an important figure in the history of women’s education and social reform.
However, the dates and nature of the sources cited in contemporary accounts have become central to the debate.
One reference predates the recent surge in attention: Women Writing in India: 600 B.C. to the Early Twentieth Century, published in 1991 by Feminist Press at the City University of New York. The anthology brings together writings from eleven Indian languages and covers women’s literary and historical contributions across centuries.
The book refers to Fatima Sheikh in a brief passage discussing the educational work of the Phules. It states: “The schools Jotiba and Savithribai Phule started in Pune were meant especially for lower-caste girls. Their colleague, Fatima Sheikh, was a Muslim woman.”
This reference predates the recent online discussion by several decades and provides evidence that Sheikh’s name appeared in published literature before the surge in internet attention. However, the passage is brief and does not, by itself, establish the full extent of her activities or substantiate all the achievements attributed to her in contemporary accounts.
A scholarly book also states that her origins are uncertain.
Book name is very scholarly
“Terrains of Consciousness
Multilogical Perspectives on Globalization”Has a reference to Fatima Sheikh. Acknowledges biographical details are uncertain.
Cites Dilip Mandal as authority on this.
Dilip Mandal in 2025
“Confession:
I had created a myth or a fabricated character and named her Fatima Sheikh”Fine example of how SJW world scholarship works! 👍🙏
— Halley (@halleyji) January 9, 2025
Another case mentions that her name started popping up in 2014.
Fatima Sheikh & Dorothy
Despite the fact that her origins and existence are contested, Karthik Subbaraj chose to peddle the misinformation as if it was established truth. The film peddles woke poison given its theme but it also pushes this kind of narratives within the film through its imagery.
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