Anoushka Jain

Before she became an actress, Nafisa Ali was already making a name for herself in the swimming pools of Kolkata. Born on 18 January 1957, Nafisa grew up in a remarkable family. Her father, Ahmed Ali, was one of India's distinguished photographers, while her grandfather, S. Wajid Ali, was a respected Bengali writer. Her mother, Philomena Torresan, came from an Anglo-Indian background. Her childhood, by her own recollection, was almost storybook-like. She grew up in a colonial bungalow in Kolkata, learnt swimming very young and spent weekends driving out of the city with her father for picnics. The family also visited their village home and travelled to Puri for holidays. Her father was a photographer, so Nafisa was in front of the camera almost from childhood. In fact, some of the photographs of her as a young woman that survive today were taken by Ahmed Ali himself. But it was sport that first made her famous. Nafisa became a national swimming champion, dominating Indian women's swimming in the early 1970s. Then, at just 19, she entered the world of beauty pageants and won Miss India 1976. A year later she represented India at Miss International, finishing second runner-up. She even became a jockey at the Calcutta Gymkhana in 1979. Cinema came almost by accident. Her first major film was Shyam Benegal's acclaimed period drama Junoon, where she played Ruth Labadoor, opposite Shashi Kapoor, Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah. It was a striking debut in a serious film rather than the conventional launch vehicle one might have expected for a former Miss India. She subsequently appeared in films such as Kshatriya, Major Saab, Bewafaa, Life in a... Metro, Guzaarish, Yamla Pagla Deewana, Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster 3 and Uunchai. But perhaps what makes Nafisa Ali's story more fascinating than her filmography is everything she was before and after cinema; champion swimmer, Miss India, jockey, actress, social activist and public figure. And behind it all was a family with deep Bengali literary, photographic and cultural roots - a family whose story crossed Kolkata, Bengal and, through its many branches, the histories of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Wishing Nafisa Ali good health and long life 🤲🙏