Her performances as Vikram Batra's girlfriend in the war film Shershaah (2021) and a troubled married woman in the romantic drama Satyaprem Ki Katha (2023) earned her critical praise and nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

[13] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama wrote, "Kiara Advani catches you completely unaware" and has the "combination of looks and talent".

[18] She had a supporting role opposite Sushant Singh Rajput (who essayed Dhoni), as the real-life character of his wife, hotel manager Sakshi Rawat.

[25] Advani expanded to Telugu cinema in 2018, appearing with Mahesh Babu in the action film Bharat Ane Nenu from Koratala Siva, about a student who unexpectedly becomes the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh.

[26][27] Janani K of India Today opined that she "shines in her brief role" but added that her character was "more of an eye-candy who doesn't add any purpose to the story".

[31][32] In a scathing review for The Hindu, Sangeetha Devi Dundoo wrote, "It isn't Kiara Advani's fault that she looks lost in the melee.

[34] Advani received wider attention later in 2019 for Sandeep Reddy Vanga's romantic drama Kabir Singh, starring Shahid Kapoor.

[35] The film had a worldwide gross of over ₹378 crore (US$44 million) becoming her highest-grossing release, but critics panned it due to its depiction of misogyny and toxic masculinity.

[37] She then starred in the comedy Good Newwz alongside Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Diljit Dosanjh, about two couples tryst with in vitro fertilization.

[38][39] Namrata Joshi opined, "Dosanjh and Advani are all about the amplification of the boisterous, kitschy Punjabi stereotype but they play it with an infectious cheer.

While Ektaa Malik of The Indian Express believed that she had been "reduced to the 'tortured-artistic-creative' types",[44] Rohan Nahaar of Hindustan Times commended her "absolutely electric performance as the unreliable Nanki".

[58][59] Advani starred alongside an ensemble cast in Jugjugg Jeeyo, a comedy-drama about divorce, in which Varun Dhawan and her played an unhappily married couple.

[61] She then starred in the comic thriller Govinda Naam Mera, with Vicky Kaushal and Bhumi Pednekar, which released digitally on Disney+ Hotstar.

[66] Two years later, Advani appeared in the Telugu action film Game Changer (2025), directed by S. Shankar and co-starring Ram Charan.

[69] Advani will next star in the YRF Spy Universe sequel War 2, co-starring Hrithik Roshan,[70] and appear alongside Yash in the Kannada action film Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups.

[89][90] In March 2023, Advani performed at the opening ceremony of the Women's Premier League alongside Kriti Sanon and AP Dhillon.

1" tour, alongside Shahid Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Tiger Shroff, Rakul Preet Singh, Jacqueline Fernandez and Ash King.

[96][97] In 2022, GQ India ranked Advani in their "30 Most Influential Young Indians" listings and named her one of the best dressed celebrities in the country.