Ahmed made her film debut in 1997 alongside Mariyam Nisha and Jamsheedha Ahmed as the caring sister of an underprivileged talented vocalist in Amjad Ibrahim's Loabeege Aniyaa. She next starred in Mohamed Ali Manik's Maazee alongside Ismail Wajeeh, Mariyam Nazima and Aminath Rasheedha which narrates the story of two best friends, a boy and a girl, who get separated at childhood and reunite as adults. Ahmed played the role of Neeza, a high self-esteemed girl who disregards her own mother and childhood bestfriend. The film marks Jamsheedha's only collaboration in a film with actor Ismail Wajeeh. In 1998, Ahmed starred in Mahdi Ahmed's Amaanaaiy alongside Ali Khalid and Fathimath Rameeza. The film revolves around a man who is welcomed with his illegitimate son after the child's mother's death and the events that proceed when his wife is not fond of the child. It is based on Shekhar Kapur's Indian drama filmMasoom which is a remake of the 1982 Malayalam movieOlangal, which are both adaptations of Man, Woman and Child, 1980 novel by Erich Segal. However, the film majorly focuses on the character of Ashiya – played by Ahmed – whose role has been derived as of Supriya Pathak's in Mausoom who only features for around five minutes. It served as a major breakthrough role for her; and was both critically and commercially appreciated. At 3rd Gaumee Film Awards, she was bestowed with Best Actress award. The same year, she played the role of Nasiha, an attractive young woman in a relationship with a married man and a patient suffering from congenital heart disease in Abdul Faththaah's television drama seriesDhoapatta. Starring alongside Mohamed Shavin, Sheela Najeeb and Niuma Mohamed, the series centers on unrequited love and complications of a relationship within and beyond marriage. She was also signed to play an insecure second wife opposite Reeko Moosa Manik in Hussain Adhil-directed Sirru. This was followed by the Ali Musthafa-directed Umurah opposite Reeko Moosa Manik. Her collaboration with Faththaah was repeated the same year with another romantic drama series, Aisha where she played the titular role of a young woman suffering from an abusive marriage. Amjad Ibrahim-directed Ainbehge Loabi Firiehge Vaajib, starring Ahmed, Yoosuf Shafeeu, Arifa Ibrahim and Niuma Mohamed was released in 2000. The film revolves around a woman, Julia who has been mistreated by her step-mother and forced into a marriage she disapproves. She next starred opposite Hussain Sobah and Mariyam Nisha in Fathimath Nahula's debut direction Fahuneyvaa which portrays the love-conflict of a man between a prominent stage performer and a deaf-mute poor girl. Ahmed played the role of Haifa, a celebrated vocalist and the second wife who discovers her husband's secret marriage. The film was critically appreciated by critics and was a commercial hit. The same year, she starred opposite Reeko Moosa Manik and Ali Seezan in the Easa Shareef-directed romantic horror film2000 Vana Ufan Dhuvas, in which she portrays a double role, Sudha, a fraud who is having an affair with a married husband and desperately fulfills all her desires by blood and sweat, and Shiuna, a helpless young woman who is forced to act as twin to the former. Ahmed starred as Noora, the ungrateful and wicked friend in Fathimath Nahula's drama film Naaummeedhu which depicts the story of a happily married couple whose life is shattered into pieces when they unintentionally invite a seductive woman into their life. The film receiving favorable reviews from critics was able to screen twenty eight houseful shows at Olympus Cinema, making it the highest grossing Maldivian film of the year. She next starred alongside Sheela Najeeb, Yoosuf Shafeeu, Mohamed Shavin and Ibrahim Giyas in Amjad Ibrahim-directed Aaah which revolves around two siblings involved in family business and the downfall of the younger brother's love life when he discovers his fiance is already married to an abusive husband. Ahmed received her second Gaumee Film Award nomination as the Best Actress for her "authentic" performance as the loyal and depressive wife who discovers her husband's extramarital affair with his ex-lover in Abdul Fatthah's critically praised romantic filmVehey Vaarey Therein. Featuring Yoosuf Shafeeu, Khadheeja Ibrahim Didi, Mohamed Shavin, Amira Ismail and Aminath Rasheedha in crucial roles, the film narrates the story of unrequited love, and proved to be one of the highest-grossing Maldivian films of the year. She then collaborated with Fathimath Nahula for her critically and commercially successful romantic drama television series, Kalaage Haqqugaa, to portray the role of Nuzu, a depressive wife mourning over her dead husband. Her role in the film was replaced by Sheela Najeeb after the seventh episode.
