Aleena began her career as a child actress in the Malayalam film industry through supporting role in
Masters (2012), before working on
Rani Padmini (2015), three years later. Aleena then portrayed a pivotal role in
Anuraga Karikkin Vellam (2016) as the daughter of the lead character. Director
Bala had spotted a news article about
Anuraga Karikkun Vellam online and subsequently chose to cast Aleena in his Tamil film,
Naachiyaar (2018), which also had
Jyothika and
G. V. Prakash Kumar in pivotal roles. Bala requested that she should use a stage name which would be easier to pronounce for Tamil audiences, and with the assistance of her cousin, she finalised the name Ivana. In order to prepare for her role, she undertook Tamil classes, while her co-actors assisted and gave her tips when filming certain scenes. Portraying Arasi, a young, innocent girl, Ivana received praise for her performance.
Sify.com noted "with and a pretty fresh face and large expressive eyes, Ivana makes a wholly believable Arasi". Likewise, critics from
The Indian Express noted that Ivana makes "an impressive debut", while
India Todays reviewer stated that Ivana gives a "splendid performance" and her "expressions are pleasing and pretty convincing". == Filmography ==