Born into a wealthy family, Naseem was enchanted by movies as a young girl and became determined to be an actress. Her beauty attracted a myriad of film offers, but she had to resort to a hunger strike before her family would allow her to appear in movies. An overnight sensation, Naseem worked prolifically until she retired in the mid-1950s so that she would not compete with the blossoming acting career of her daughter Saira Banu. Instead, she turned her attention to designing clothing, especially intricately embroidered saris, until her death in 2002.

Mother of actress Saira Banu, son Sultan Ahmed and mother-in-law of actor Dilip Kumar.