Debut and early work (2016–2020) Nivetha made her acting debut with the Tamil film
Oru Naal Koothu in 2016, where she portrayed an IT professional opposite
Dinesh.
Hindustan Times termed her performance as "engaging", while
Times of India noted, "Nivetha is impressive in her debut." In 2017, she appeared in two films. First she starred in
Podhuvaga Emmanasu Thangam opposite
Udhayanidhi Stalin.
Deccan Chronicle commented that, "Nivetha Pethuraj looks good, but hardly makes an impact in a poorly etched character." She then made her Telugu debut with
Mental Madhilo, where she portrayed a straight forward girl opposite
Sree Vishnu, a successful venture.
Firstpost noted, "A terrific actress, Nivetha Pethuraj easily gives one of the best performances of the year. She becomes the voice of reason in the film and anchors the whole film with her verve." Nivetha had two releases in 2018. She first portrayed an army official alongside
Jayam Ravi in
Tik Tik Tik, which was a commercial success at the box office.
Hindustan Times said, "Nivetha Pethuraj as Captain Swathi is one positive in the film". She then appeared as a Sub-Inspector opposite
Vijay Antony in
Thimiru Pudichavan.
Cinema Express said, "Nivetha Pethuraj pulls off the Madras slang and seems to handle comedy well." However her next film
Party, despite having completed filming, remains unreleased. In 2019, Nivetha had three releases. She portrayed a corporate executive alongside
Sai Dharam Tej in
Chitralahari, which was a commercial success.
Deccan Chronicle said that she "performs well" among the two female leads.
Times of India stated, "Nivetha Pethuraj plays her unapologetic stone-cold corporate honcho role with perfection." Nivetha was also the part of Tamil film
Sangathamizhan starring
Vijay Sethupathi directed by Vijay Chander, which opened to mixed reviews from critics.
Continued career (2020–present) In 2020, Nivetha was part of the Telugu film
Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo. In 2021, she appeared in another Telugu film titled
Red, directed by
Kishore Tirumala, co-starring
Ram Pothineni,
Malvika Sharma, and
Amritha Aiyer. She also starred in another Telugu film alongside
Vishwak Sen. Later in the same year, she appeared in a Tamil film alongside
Prabhudeva titled
Pon Manickavel. Pradeep Kumar of
The Hindu noted, "Nivetha Pethuraj fits the ‘Tamil ponnu’ billing to a T." In 2022, Nivetha had continuous releases in Telugu films including
Bloody Mary as lead,
Virata Parvam where she made a special appearance. Her major 2023 release was
Das Ka Damki where she acted alongside Vishwak Sen for the second time after
Paagal. She then starred in the crime thriller television series
Paruvu, which premiered on
ZEE5 in June 2024. Her performance was praised by the critics. == Filmography ==