[3][4] She was born Putli Bai in Aligarh, British India in 1938 but later adopted the film name Shamim Ara.

[5] In 1956, Putli Bai's family was visiting some relatives in Lahore, Pakistan, when, after a chance meeting with the well-known film director, Najam Naqvi, she was signed for his next movie.

It was Najam Naqvi who introduced her under the stage name Shamim Ara, because her previous name was similar to the infamous dacoit Putli Bai.

[4][7][8] The filming of the song Mujh Se Pehli Si Mohabbat Mere Mehboob Na Maang (a poem written by renowned Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz and sung by Madam Noor Jehan) with Rasheed Attre's music in the film Qaidi (1962), had everyone talking about her.

However, Qaidi (1962), Chingari (1964), Farangi (1964), Naila (1965), Aag Ka Darya (1966), Lakhon Mein Aik (1967), Saiqa (1968), and Salgira (1968) were landmarks in her career, securing her a position as the top actress of the 1960s in Lollywood.

[5][7] Her directorial ventures were not as successful as her acting projects, primarily due to not dwelling on the real issues and adapting the formula style of filmmaking.

She then married Abdul Majid Carim, the scion of the family that runs Agfa Color Film Company.

[11] They lived in Lahore until 2005, when she and Salman Majeed Carim (her son by a previous marriage) moved to London, while her husband remained in Pakistan.

She remained in and out of hospital for six years and was cared for by her only son, Salman Majid Carim, who has not inherited anything from his father and is self- made working in the IT industry and also property development.