She made her film debut in 2000 with the Yash Raj Films blockbuster Mohabbatein, which was directed by Aditya Chopra. Her portrayal of Ishika earned her and her fellow co-stars Kim Sharma and Preeti Jhangiani the 2001 IIFA Award for Star Debut of the Year – Female. Since then, she mostly found success in item numbers, including "Sharara Sharara" in Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai (2001) and "Chori Pe Chori" in Saathiya (2002). Later, Shetty found success as an actress with her first solo hit Zeher. She worked once with her sister Shilpa Shetty in Fareb in that same year. She was a contestant on Bigg Boss (Season 3)^[3] on Colors TV. She opted out of the show for her sister Shilpa's wedding. She was out of the show on 14 November 2009 (day 41) after staying for 6 weeks.

On 14 June 2011, Shetty decided to follow her passion in interior design alongside her acting career.^[4] In 2015, she participated in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Reloaded.

• List of Indian film actresses