When the actress was 16 years old, she was assigned to debut in Mukesh Bhatt's Tumsa Nahin Dekha, but backed out when she felt the role was too mature for her and was immediately replaced by Dia Mirza.
In 2006, Jiah debuted in the controversial Nishabd, where she acted opposite Amitabh Bachchan. The film was released in March 2007 to mixed reviews, though Khan was noted for her confidence, attitude. She also got a "Filmfare Best Debutant" Nomination for her Acting skills.
Jiah Khan appeared alongside Aamir Khan in A.R. Murugadoss's Ghajini, the Hindi remake of its Tamil namesake. She was shot for a significant portion of Ken Ghosh directed film "Yahoo" opposite Shahid Kapoor, but was replaced by Genelia D'souza.
Despite this, UTV Motion Pictures subsequently signed the actress for a two-film deal; Ghajini producer Madhu Mantena signed her for a 3-film deal shortly after.