Niharika Bhasin Khan ’94

Niharika Bhasin Khan ’94, came from Jamshedpur, India to study human resources and public relations at Eastern Washington University. In 1997, Niharika launched her own jewelry line, Akirahin, and today, she is a successful and well-known jewelry designer.

While jewelry is her constant passion, Niharika is well-known in India for her success as an award-winning Bollywood stylist and costume designer. She has worked on seven prominent films and was catapulted into the limelight for her work on Dirty Picture, a biopic about famous Bollywood actress Silk Smitha, a South Indian actress noted for her sultry roles.

The larger-than-life alumna is described as “Spunky, chatty and candid, Niharika is known for her work as well as her quirks – colored hair, multiple tattoos and piercings.”³ Niharika declares that style isn’t about going out and buying something you saw in a movie. “It’s about how you put things together. And most importantly, being comfortable in what you are wearing.”⁴

Niharika is married to Bollywood actor Ayub Khan, who has appeared in more than 20 movies. Their courtship plays much like a movie script. Ayub describes Niharika as,”patient and loving, and I know she will always be my side through thick and thin. She doesn’t impose her decisions. She is quite easy with life, much unlike me. At times, I can be quite irritable as I keep dwelling on the past and find it hard to get over. In those times she helps me to look at the positive side of life. I have learned a lot from her.”²

They are the proud parents of daughters Tahura and Zohra.