Actor Nafisa Ali, born on January 18, 1957, is celebrating her 65th birthday today. Her friends, colleagues, and family members are wishing her well on this occasion. Nafisa’s journey to Bollywood is an inspiring story. She struggled with her acting career in the early days, despite winning the Miss India title in 1976 at the age of 19 years.
Born in Kolkata to famous photographer Ahmed Ali and Philomena Torresan, she was an accomplished athlete in school before becoming West Bengal’s swimming sensation in the early 1970s and a national swimming champion in 1974.
Even before she decided to compete in the Femina Miss India contest, her sports accomplishments had made her a celebrity in Kolkata. It is said that her victory in Mumbai in June 1976 was not entirely unexpected. In 1979, Ali was also a jockey at the Calcutta Gymkhana. Ali’s Miss India victory paved the way for her to compete in the Miss International pageant, which brought her to Bollywood before she took a break.
In 1978, Nafisa Ali made her film debut in Shyam Benegal’s film Junoon, which is still remembered by cine fans. It is also said that the actor was signed opposite Rishi Kapoor, but she couldn’t work in this film.
Some media reports claim that Rishi Kapoor was highly impressed when he saw Nafisa’s pictures in the newspaper. He requested his father, Raj Kapoor, to cast her in the next film, Hina, but Ali’s father didn’t allow her to work in films and instead asked her to get married.
After a few days, Nasir Hussain finalised Nafisa as the female lead for his two films, starring Rishi Kapoor in the lead.
In an interview, Nafisa Ali said that she regrets her decision to obey her father. She said, “I should never have listened to him when I started my career in acting. Cinema has its importance.”
Ali appeared as a female lead opposite many big stars, like Amitabh Bachchan. In 2007, she was also seen in the film Life in a Metro, featuring the late actor Irrfan in the lead.
The actor and theatrical director confirmed in November 2018 that she is suffering from peritoneal and ovarian cancer.
These days, Nafisa Ali has turned into an active politician, joining Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress.
