She gained international recognition for her performance in Pan Nalin's drama film Angry Indian Goddesses.

[1] She then portrayed the title character in Sanal Kumar Sasidharan's Sexy Durga and received critical acclaim for her performance in the Netflix series Sacred Games.

In 2023, Deshpande won Best Actress in a Drama Series at the 2023 Filmfare OTT Awards, for her work in Trial by Fire.

In Hindi cinema, it was the portrayal of Laxami in Pan Nalin's Angry Indian Goddesses that provided her with a bigger platform.

[11] A scandal arose when she was accused of being a porn star by some viewers, as the show included a nude sex scene.