Niharica Raizada From Imperial College to Bollywood and hospital building ambitions, the actress, medical scientist and former Miss India UK discusses her London roots, film career and commitment to philanthropy.
Niharica Raizadas career spans medicine, cinema and charitable work. Born in Luxembourg to a family of Indian heritage, Raizada moved to London at 18 to study at Imperial College. She later received a scholarship to continue her education in the United States before establishing a career in India.
She is now returning to Britain after a 16 year absence, with plans to strengthen her links with the country and pursue a range of professional projects, including film production and hospital development.
“I owe much of my academic success to Imperial College London,” she says. “My education in the UK was possibly one of the best things in my life.”
London beginnings – Raizada says London was her first introduction to a large and established Indian community outside the subcontinent.
“In Luxembourg, there were perhaps only 25 or 50 Indian families,” she says. “In London, there was a large and established community.”
She lived near South Kensington and Gloucester Road, within easy reach of Hammersmith, Paddington and Edgware Road. It was also in London that she entered the entertainment industry.
After being crowned Miss India UK, Raizada travelled across India and worked with designers including Tarun Tahiliani and Manish Malhotra. She says the competition was judged on more than appearance.
“It was also about personality and the ability to speak on a larger public platform,” she says.
Her title led to performance opportunities and helped establish her public profile. She says she had wanted to perform since childhood.
“I have always been a performer,” she says. “There was always something inside me that made me believe I wanted to become a film star.”
Film career – Raizada made her first big screen appearance in Bhagam Bhag, filmed in London with Akshay Kumar and Govinda. She later worked on a Bengali film in Kolkata, as well as War with Om Puri and Gulshan Grover and Total Dhamaal with Sanjay Mishra and Madhuri Dixit.
Her latest project is Mercy, an independent film.
“He was a great talent and one of the finest actors when it came to realism and naturalism,” she says.
Raizada also became close to Puris family and credits him with helping to promote her within the film industry before his death.
She recalls her work with Om Puri as a particularly important experience. The pair first met in London, and Raizada says Puri continued to support her career.
Medicine and philanthropy – Alongside acting, Raizada has maintained an active interest in medicine and public health.
She has used her public profile to support organisations and campaigns linked to heart and lung disease, smoking cessation and cardiovascular awareness. She has also worked with the Pulmonary Hypertension Association in the United States.
“I have always tried to use my popularity to support philanthropic causes,” she says.
Raizada says she wants her work to have a social purpose beyond entertainment and commercial success.
“What is life if you are not involved in society or making an impact?” she says.
She is now considering plans to build hospitals and says medicine will remain part of her life.
“I am planning to build hospitals, so I remain very active in medicine,” she says.
Production ambitions – Raizada also intends to develop her own film projects. She believes performers must sometimes create their own opportunities rather than wait for the industry to provide them.
“Actors also need to make films for themselves and be their own champions,” she says.
She plans to appear in some productions while supporting emerging talent in others.
“I hope to make some good films,” she says. “I will star in a few, but I also want to work with talented people who need the opportunity to be showcased.”
An independent journey – Raizada describes her career as largely self directed, with limited access to consistent financial or professional backing.
“Sometimes I feel that I am working for myself so hard,” she says. “I am my own manager and, at times, you feel tired and exhausted.”
She acknowledges that the entertainment industry can be isolating and competitive.
“If you cannot cope with being alone, take rejection or remain thick skinned, eventually it will affect you,” she says.
She also points to the politics and personal criticism common within the industry, arguing that resilience is essential for anyone hoping to succeed.
Despite the challenges, Raizada remains confident about her future.
“The struggle is real,” she says. “But I am absolutely certain about where I am going.”
Her plans now combine film, medicine and philanthropy, fields she believes can work together to create both personal success and wider social value.
