Nafisa Ali says she was destined to be launched by Kapoors

Many people come to Mumbai to become a Bollywood star but only a few get through it. On the contrary, for Nafisa Ali, the journey to Bollywood has not been as tough. The actress who made her debut with the Shashi Kapoor's first production Junoon (1978) said that she was destined to be launched by the Kapoors.

The 16-year-old national swimming champ was first spotted by Rishi Kapoor on a magazine cover. Impressed by her beauty, Rishi Kapoor showed the cover to his father Raj Kapoor to cast her in their next movie. Like all the worried parents, Nafisa’s father wanted her to complete her studies before entering into films and hence the proposal was rejected, but the family remained in touch with the Kapoors. "When Bobby premiered in Kolkata, Rishi invited my parents and me over and introduced us to his family”, said the Major Saab actress.

Talking about her break in the industry, “The day before I was to return to Kolkata, Kunal told me that Shyam Benegal who was directing a film for his dad, was looking for a new girl. He coaxed me to leave my photographs behind and showed them to him”, she said. Soon after that, on her 21^st birthday, she got a call from Benegal and after a short screen test; she was finalized for Junoon.