Agencies
MUMBAI: Bollywood actress Jiah Khan committed suicide on late Monday night by hanging herself in her Juhu residence, according to police.
The cause of the suicide is not known. Police said they were questioning her domestic help and the watchman.
The 25-year-actress had moved from England to Mumbai with her mother to act in Bollywood films. She hanged herself when her mother Rabiya had gone out for a stroll at about 11.30 pm. When her mother returned, she found the house door locked from inside. When the door was broken open, Jiah Khan was found hanging.
She was reportedly depressed after she auditioned for a few South Indian films as she had not done well. Jiah Khan was also reportedly close to Aditya Pancholi’s son Suraj Pancholi.
She is the first known actress to commit suicide since the late model-VJ Nafisa Joseph hanged herself in 2004.
In 2007, Jiah Khan was nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Debutant for her role in her very first film `Nishabd’ opposite Amitabh Bachchan. In fact, Jiah Khan became the youngest actress in Bollywood to get a role opposite the Big B.
Nishabd, directed by Ram Gopal Verma, was the Bollywood of version of Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Lolita, portraying love between a 60-year-old man and an 18-year-old girl.
She changed her name from Nafisa Khan to Jiah Khan after her debut film. She said last year that she was privileged to have gotten that role opposite Amitabh Bachchan. “I am privileged to have worked with him (Amitabh) in my first movie… and I learned so much from him. So, thank you God,” she said at a promotional event last year.
Jiah Khan also appeared in Ghajini with Aamir Khan in the lead role.
She was last seen in Sajid Khan’s Housefull in 2010 that also had Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta, Deepika Padukone and Riteish Deshmukh in the cast.
Reacting to the terrible news, Amitabh Bachchan tweeted, “WHAT …!!! Jiah Khan ??? what has happened ? is this correct ? unbelievable !!!”
Stunned by the news, Ram Gopal Verma, who gave Jiah Khan her Bollywood break, said, “Shocked and choked to hear about Jiah. So young and so pretty. Just cant believe that someone as young nd so full of life is just dead. Never ever seen a debutant actress with more spunk and more spirit than Jiah when i was directing her in Nishabd.”
Jiah Khan was born (Nafisa Khan) in Chelsea in London in February 1988 to Indian American Ali Rizvi and Hindi actress Rabiya Amin. Her mother, who comes from Agra, is known for her role in Dulha Bikta Hai which was directed by actor Aamir Khan’s father Tahir Hussain.
READ NEXT: Bollywood stars who died young
