An alumnus of National School of Drama, he made his acting debut in the 1995 film Oh Darling!

He also appeared as Apple Singh, an "icon" used by ESPN Star Sports during the 1999 Cricket World Cup.

In 2006, Mishra acted in and gained fame from the back-to-back hit films Golmaal: Fun Unlimited and Dhamaal.

He directed a movie named Pranaam Walekum, which was released in January 2016, as well as Dhama Choukdhi, which also starred Dipraj Rana and model Rozlyn Khan.

In 2014, he played the critically acclaimed role of a male protagonist in the film Ankhon Dekhi, directed by Rajat Kapoor.

Mishra won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for his role as Bauji, the protagonist of the film.

[13] His movies Bhoothnath Returns, Kick and Dum Laga Ke Haisha all brought positive reviews.