 Despite the fact that her elder sister got her a break in films, it was Anwar Kamal Pasha who persuaded Naseem to try her luck and not give up in the Pakistani film industry.Her first major break in films came in 1962.She changed her name to Mala and sang a simple Urdu composition, "Aaya re dekho" for the film "Sooraj Mukhi" (1962).