Yasmin (born 1936), also spelled as Yasmeen, is a Pakistani actress known for her work in Pakistani cinema. Yasmin was noted for her perfect fit for tragic roles during her acting career. Her career spanned over two decades during which she appeared as a leading lady as well as supporting roles in the films of Golden Age of Pakistani cinema.
Amina was born in 1936 in Bombay, British India. She received her primary education at Imambara Girls School in Bombay. She studied until middle school, though her father, Atta Muhammad Paracha, wished for her to complete her matriculation. Zarina, however, was more interested in pursuing a career in acting than in her studies.
Her passion led her to approach A. R. Kardar, who was preparing for the film Dil Lagi, an Urdu version of the folk tale Heer Ranjha. Impressed by her self-confidence and passion, he supported her with a role in the film. The film starred Shyam (Sahira Kazmi's father) and Suraiya in the lead roles.
Yasmin made her debut in 1949 with A.R. Kardar's Dillagi in a supporting role of Sehti. After partition, she shifted to Pakistan and started working in Pakistani cinema.
During the filming of Dillagi, the Partition of India occurred, but Yasmin stayed in India and completed her work in the film. In 1950, she migrated with her family to Lahore, Pakistan. In Pakistan, she initially worked under the names Zarina Reshma and Reshma. Her early roles under these names included the film Jihad, directed by Zahoor Raja, and Amanat, a film by Haider Shah. She was also part of the cast of the film Chan Wey by Shah Noor Productions.
Her debut film in Pakistan was Beli, which was written by Saadat Hassan Manto and she had a supporting role in it. She went on to appear in supporting roles in Chan Wey (1951), Dupatta (1952), and Lakht-e-Jigar, followed by her lead debut in Morni (both 1956).
She later adopted the screen name Yasmin for her roles in films such as Qismat and Lakht Jigar. In Lakht Jigar, she played a romantic role opposite actor Habib, while the main leads were Noor Jehan and Santosh Kumar.
Yasmin's first major film as a heroine was Morni, released in 1956. She appeared opposite actor Akmal Khan in the Punjabi film Jabro, directed by Muzaffar Tahir. She also had a lead role with Talish in Darbar Habib and a supporting role as the hero's sister in Ashfaq Malik's film Baaghi.
Her relationship with Jafar Bukhari, the cameraman of Chan Wey, developed into a romance and eventually marriage. As a director, Jafar Bukhari cast Yasmin as the heroine in several of his films, including Anjam, Masoom, Tamanna, Zehr-e-Ishq, Nai Lakhi, and Bharaso. The popular song "Dil Deta Hai Ro Ro Dahai" from the film Ishq Par Zor Nahi was filmed on her.
Due to serious differences, she and Jafar Bukhari separated. She then married the film director Syed Shaukat Hussain Rizvi, the former husband of singer Noor Jehan. She has two sons with Rizvi, Shaneshah Hussain Rizvi and Syed Ali Murtaza Rizvi, while Jafar Bukhari has a son, Nasir Bukhari, who resides in Europe.