Family background
Khan was born into the Agha and Khan families, known for their contributions to Indian cinema and sports. Her maternal lineage has been involved in the Indian film industry since the 1940s, beginning with her great-grandfather Jugal Kishore Mehra, who started producing films.
Anwari Begum, the wife of Jugal Kishore Mehra, starred in the 1930s film Heer Ranjha, an adaptation of an Indian folktale akin to Romeo and Juliet. Following this legacy, Khan's grandmother, Nasreen Mehra, debuted in the film Shahjehan under director Abdul Rashid Kardar, acting alongside K. L. Saigal.
Khan's mother, Salma Agha, made her debut as an actress and singer with B. R. Chopra in Nikaah which went on to become a box office hit and ran in a theatre for five years continuously, earning her a Filmfare Award for Best Singer. [1] [2]
Khan's paternal side hails from a sports background and her great-grandfather Nasrullah Khan was a squash coach to the Maharaja of Raigadh and then at Aligarh Muslim University. Post that he became the Viceroy Lord Wavell's squash coach. He even trained Jonah Barrington and had also created the first squash ball in India before the partition. [3]
Khan's father Rahmat Khan himself was a squash coach who trained British open champions in squash as well as the Indian national champions. Zahrah's uncle Jahangir Khan was a 10-time British Open winner and was personally trained by her father Rahmat Khan. Through her father she is also the half-sister of singer Natasha Khan. [4] [5]
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