[3] Sushma made her acting debut with the Kannada romantic film, Madarangi (2013), in which she won positive reviews for her portrayal of her character.

The film had a low-key release but became a sleeper hit at the box office and fetched further offers for the actress.

[4][5] Her breakthrough role was in the Telugu romantic thriller film, Maaya (2014) by G. Neelakanta Reddy, for which she auditioned and participated on workshops for, before beginning shoot.

[6] A critic noted Sushma "pulls off her role rather comfortably and manages to show the variations in her character without strain" and that "she is sincere and plays her part naturally".

[8] Sushma next appeared in the Tamil romantic comedy, India Pakistan (2015) opposite Vijay Antony and won positive reviews for her portrayal of a lawyer.