Waheeda was born in a Urdu-speaking family in Hyderabad, India, on May 14, 1936. Her father was the District Magistrate which led him to be posted in several places. Tragedy visited her in 1948 when her dad passed away. Her mom passed away in 1955.A year after her dad's death she appeared in a Telegu movie 'Rojulu Marayi'. Her role was as an dancing child artiste. She is proficient in Bharat Natyam. It was here that she was spotted by noted Bollywood actor and film-maker, Guru Dutt, who gave her a lead role in C.I.D.. She went on to appear in 'Pyaasa', 'Kagaz Ke Phool', 'Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam', 'Chaudvi Ka Chand', 'Bees Saal Baad', 'Teesri Kasam' just to name a few, in a career that spanned from 1949 through to 2006. She has acted as a child artiste, a leading lady, then switched to character appearances. She has procured the Best Film Actress Award in 1965 for her role in 'Guide', and then again in 1968 for 'Neel Kamal'.She had co-starred with Kamaljit Singh in 'Shagun', and later married him on April 27, 1974, and moved to his farmhouse in Bangalore. She subsequently gave birth to a son, Sohail, and then to a daughter, Kashvi. When Kamaljit became ill, she considerably reduced her commitments in Bollywood, and the family re-located to 'Sahil', located near Bandra Bandstand, Bombay. Kamaljit passed away on November 21, 2000. Sohail has achieved his M.B.A. and is working in a Private Limited Company, while Kashvi is a Jewelery Designer.She is very friendly with former actress Nanda and both spend a lot of time together, and often go out to eat out, including Dahi, Bhel, and Pani Puri right outside Elco Arcade in Bandra, West.A Taurus, Waheeda went on to produce her very own film 'Om Jai Jagadish' which met with considerable success. She went on to act in 'Water', 'Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara', '15 Park Avenue', and 'Rang De Basanti'.

Her best friend is actress Nanda, and they had co-starred in Kala Bazar (1960)