Remembering Jiah Khan on her 10th Death Anniversary, a Young Actress Who Passed Away at the Age of 25

On the 10th death anniversary of Jiah Khan, a beloved Bollywood actress, here is a glimpse into her prolific career in the film industry from inception.

Written by: Arjita Gupta

Edited by: Krutarth Ghosalkar

Last Updated: June 03, 2023

Jiah Khan changed her name to Nafisa Khan after Gia, a movie starring Angelina Jolie (1998). The actress was born on 20 February 1988 to her parents Rabiya Amin, a yesteryear Bollywood actress known for her role in Dulha Bikta Hai by Tahir Husain, and Ali Rizvi Khan. She studied in New York at the Lee Strasberg Academy of Dramatic Arts after getting done with A-levels in film studies and literature in London. But soon she quit her studies in between on receiving an offer for a film from Mumbai.

She was 16 when Mahesh Bhatt offered her the lead role in 2004 for Tumsa Nahin Dekha. But Jiah backed out from the role as she felt the character was too mature for her. Thereafter she starred in Nishabd, her Bollywood debut in 2007, which was a controversial film for its storyline of an older man falling for a young girl, despite being married. The movie was directed by Ram Gopal Verma, and Amitabh Bachchan played her love interest.

The plot of an illicit affair was compared to the Hollywood classic Lolita of 1962. However, the character portrayal by Jiah Khan seemed genuine as she exuded attitude, confidence, and sex appeal. For this, she even was nominated for her performance as the ‘Best Debutant’. Then she landed with Ghajini in 2008, which was a super hit movie starring Amir Khan. The movie was a remake of a 2005 film by A R Murugadoss, of the same name, which had the actor Surya of the fame 'Raktha Charitra'.

Before the release of Ghajini, there were rumors that Jiah Khan is the step-sister of Amir Khan, as the latter’s father had worked in Dulha Bikta Hai with Rabiya, Jiah’s mother. But the rumors were ended after clarification. Then the actress moved on to Chance Pe Dance by Ken Ghosh in 2010. The movie starred Shahid Kapoor. She was then replaced by Genelia D’Souza after shooting a good number of scenes for the project.

However, she starred in Housefull, a hit comedy film in the same year. Jiah Khan was the supporting actress in Housefull, which contained a huge star cast. Sajid Khan was the director of the movie. The film starred big names such as Deepika Padukone, Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Arjun Rampal, and Lara Dutta. Here, Jiah did the role of Akshay’s wife.

But the film, unfortunately, remained the last one where Jiah was seen on the big screen. Because on 3 June 2013, the actress reportedly died of suicide and was found dead in Juhu, Mumbai, in her flat. She was found hanging and a suicide note was recovered after a probe by CBI. Jiah was too young at that time and passed away at the tender age of 25.