[3][4] She began her career in television with supporting roles in Marathi series like Tuzyavina (2003) and gained recognition with Ya Gojirvanya Gharat.

She starred in Sachin Kundalkar's Pondicherry (2022), receiving critical acclaim and awards for her performance s as ingle parent.

[7] In 2008, she made her film debut with a supporting role in Subhash Ghai's crime thriller Black & White, and Aamir Khan starred Ghajini.

[19] Tamhankar in 2011 essayed a helpless wife in the suspense comedy Don Ghadicha Daav, the remake of B. R. Chopra's 1973 film Dhund, which was inspired by Agatha Christie's 1958 play The Unexpected Guest.

The film and her role were praised by critics, with a review carried by DNA mentioned her as "who surprises with a very crisp, controlled performance.

[31][32] Her eighth release of that year was the romantic musical comedy Mangalashtak Once More, she depicted the role of a focused office colleague.

"[33] Tamhankar garnered widespread recognition the same year for her starring role opposite Swapnil Joshi in Sanjay Jadhav's romantic drama Duniyadari.

[34] The plot is set against the backdrop of the late 1970s, about college campus, love-hate relationships, and eventually making them realise the true face of life.

Duniyadari emerged as a major success with a cult status and a revenue of ₹30 crore (US$5.12 million), becoming a record of the highest grossing Marathi film of that time which was broke by Timepass (2014).

[36] Ullas Shirke of Marathi Movie World described her as "Tamhankar has found an important role to display her real acting skills.

The Hollywood Reporter ascribed, "The nosy, laughing Tamhankar also surprises: by the end of the film, she’s the mother of two who pens stories as avidly as she once read private mail.

"[46] Paloma Sharma of Rediff wrote, "Tamhankar play both mother and daughter seemed risky at first, the actress manages to pull it off with ease.

[48] After the success of Duniyadari, the trio Jadhav, Joshi, and Tamhankar collaborated on the romantic Pyaar Vali Love Story.

[50] In 2015, she appeared in a tomboy look in Aditya Sarpotdar's coming-of-age romantic drama Classmates, the official remake of the 2006 Malayalam film of the same name.

Keyur Seta of The Common Man Speaks praised the film and wrote, "Tamhankar proves to be effective once again in two starkly opposite characters.

"[51] Jitendra More of Marathi Movie World found, "She suits well in the role of possessive Appu, but her performance is more dependent on the dialogues offered to her.

[citation needed] Her other two Marathi film releases were 3:56 Killari and Tu Hi Re, opposite Jackie Shroff and Joshi, respectively.

Ganesh Matkari of the Pune Mirror noted, "Tamhankar as Parnrekha is cast against type, which helps the character immensely.

[70] Her final release was adult coming-of-age Ashleel Udyog Mitra Mandal, in which she depicted the controversial fictional character Savita Bhabhi.

Girlfriend is based on the pressure youngsters face when it comes to being in a romantic relationship[75] and plays a title role in Kulkarni Chaukatla Deshpande, who is a rebellious middle-class girl.

[citation needed] Abhay Salvi of Marathi Stars wrote, "Tamhankar again hits it out of the park with her extremely sensitive performance!

[81] Mihir Bhanage opined that "as Gowri adds yet another interesting and noteworthy character to her repertoire"[82] and Colorphool, a soft-hearted romantic film.

[83] She gained widespread recognition for her role as Muslim friend Shama to Kriti's character in Laxman Utekar's comedy drama Mimi.

[92][93] Suyog Zore of Cinestaan called it "the best performance of her career" and wrote, "With just a look, she conveys the emotional turmoil of Nikita—the silent sobs, her sleepless nights and the longing for someone she can share her pain with.

[97][98] Kalpeshraj Kubal of The Times of India noted "Sai's eyes speak a thousand words even in scenes that she has no lines in.

"[99] She next starred as a supportive police officer named SS Jasmeet Kaur in the Netflix crime thriller film Bhakshak which was based on the Muzaffarpur shelter case.

[100] Hindustan Times' Monika Kukreja wrote "Tamhankar as SSP Jasmeet Kaur is a very thoughtful addition to the cast, and she brings intensity and gravitas to the story.