Zubeida was a pioneering Indian actress who became a star of the silent film era and is best known for being the leading lady in Alam Ara (1931), the first Indian talkie film. Born in 1911 in Surat, Zubeida was the daughter of Nawab Sidi Ibrahim Muhammad Yakut Khan III and Fatima Begum, an actress who would later become one of India's first female film directors.

Zubeida's two sisters, Sultana and Shahzadi, also became actresses, making them a trailblazing family in early Indian cinema. Zubeida began her career at the age of 12, appearing in silent films like Veer Abhimanyu (1922) and Kalyan Khajina (1924). She quickly gained popularity, starring in numerous films throughout the 1920s.