Nafisa Rizvi Khan, known professionally as Jiah Khan, was born on February 20, 1988, in New York City to Indian parents. Raised in London, she developed a passion for acting from a young age, which ultimately led her to Mumbai in pursuit of a career in Hindi cinema.
Jiah made her film debut in 2007 with the Ram Gopal Verma film Nishabd, earning a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She gained further recognition for her role in Ghajini, released in 2008, which became the highest-grossing Bollywood film of that year. After a brief hiatus, she returned to the screen in the romantic comedy Housefull, which was also a commercial success, ranking as the fifth highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2010.
Tragically, Jiah's life came to an untimely end on June 3, 2013, when she was found deceased in her family home in Juhu, Mumbai. The Central Bureau of Investigation conducted an inquiry into her death, which was ruled a suicide. However, her mother has consistently alleged that Jiah was murdered by her partner, actor Sooraj Pancholi, leading to a controversial legal battle that included attempts to charge him with murder and sexual assault.