Karimi was born in Tehran, Iran, into a Muslim family of mixed ethnicity. Her father, Reza Karimi, is an Iranian and her mother, Saba Karimi, is an Indian Sunni Muslim.[1][4] She was raised in Tehran.[1] She said in an interview, "I was born in a conservative Muslim family and while growing up, I was very shy and quiet. I studied art. I used to spend most of my time in my room playing around with papers, cameras and colours."[3] About her Indian connection she commented, "I had come to India many times, visiting my family or for holidays. Also, when I started modelling, I got offers from India but was never interested."[3] Being of Iranian descent, it was a bit hard for her to make a good entrance in the Indian Bollywood.