In 1976, Roy entered the top league after starring in two of the biggest box-office hits, the action thriller Kalicharan and the horror film Nagin.

Roy won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the drama Apnapan (1977), but declined it due to categorical issues.

Roy returned to India in 1992 after divorcing Khan and made a comeback in Hindi cinema with the drama Aadmi Khilona Hai (1993).

Following a highly-publicised love affair with Shatrughan Sinha, in 1983, Roy decided to quit the film industry to marry Pakistani cricketer Mohsin Khan.

[3] In 1971, Roy was cast by director B. R. Ishara in Nayi Duniya Naye Log opposite Danny Denzongpa, but the film was shelved and would not be released until 1973.

Roy was initially reluctant to select the project due to its risque subject and potentially controversial scenes, but agreed later.

[10] Box Office India published that Roy established herself as a leading actress of Bollywood with the success of Kalicharan and Nagin..

Reena's poignant dance in "Aasha" to the melody of "Shisha Ho Yah Dil" immortalized her as an icon of desire and tragedy.

Her dark-shaded role in "Apnapan", as the selfish gold-digger that abandons her husband and child, won her the Best Supporting Actress Filmfare Award, beating out icons Nutan and Asha Parekh.

In 1977, Roy garnered critical acclaim for playing Kamini, a gold-digger who abandons her husband (Jeetendra) for a much senior but richer man (Ifthekar) in J. Om Prakash's drama Apnapan.

Vijay Lokapally of The Hindu stated that Roy "lives the role" and rated her performance superior to that of Jeetendra and Sulakshana Pandit.

[12][13] Regarding her performance in the latter, Film World remarked, "Reena Roy is easy on the eye and acts with effortless ease in a role which demands nothing.".

In 1980, Roy appeared as a rebellious daughter-in-law of Lalita Pawar in Vijay Sadanah's melodrama Sau Din Saas Ke.

[10] It was a blockbuster success, as was the 1981 release Naseeb, a "masala" film directed by Manmohan Desai, which featured Roy alongside Sinha, Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor and Hema Malini.

India Today described the film as "enjoyable but terrible for your health",[16] but Shahid Khan of Planet Bollywood commented that Roy nevertheless, "leaves a mark in her few dramatic scenes.

Reena, anguished by the commercial failure of Lakshmi, found solace in the sensational success of her other home production - the musical comedy, Sanam Teri Kasam (1982), opposite upcoming Kamal Hasan and produced by her sister Barkha Roy.

In the following years, a number of Roy's previously completed films were released, notably J. P. Dutta's action-drama Ghulami, B. S. Glaad's Hum Dono and Satpal's Do Waqt Ki Roti (1988).

Roy returned to Bollywood in 1992, in a mature supporting role as a sister-in-law (bhabhi) in Aadmi Khilona Hai (1993) but could not repeat her success of the early days of her career.