Shabnam is a Bangladeshi–Pakistani stage and film actress. Actor Waheed Murad introduced her to the Pakistani film industry by offering her a lead role in his film Samundar in 1968. Shabnam remained active in Lollywood in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. She has appeared in over 150 films. She was a leading actress in the Pakistani film industry for 28 years.

Shabnam migrated from East to West Pakistan in 1968, and lived in the country until the late 1990s, later she returned to her native Bangladesh