[1][2] She is known for her theatre activities and performances in movies including Ondanondu Kaladalli (1978),Geetha (1981),Pardes (1997), Padmaavat (2018) and Tanhaji (2020).
[2] Rao's debut movie was 1978 Kannada film Ondanondu Kaladalli, directed by Girish Karnad.
[3] She played Amitabh Bacchan's wife in the critically acclaimed film Te3n, directed by Ribhu Dasgupta.
She performed as Jijabai, mother of Shivaji, in the 2020 film Tanhaji.
[5] Her theatre work Kitchen Poems, a solo performance, was much appreciated.