Pahwa rose to prominence for her role of
Badki in the popular
Doordarshan soap opera Hum Log (1984–1985). As a theatre actor she worked with Delhi-based theatre group Sambhav, Subsequently, she played Maasi, or Aunt on
Kasamh Se (2006–2009), a popular
Zee TV soap opera by
Ekta Kapoor. The character is very kind and loving towards her nephew and his wife Bani Walia, the
protagonist. She won the
Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 2015
Screen Awards for the film
Ankhon Dekhi (2013). In 2014, she received acclaim for experiential theatre performance of
Bhisham Sahni's satire on the middle-class,
Saag Meat, where she cooked during the performance, and the food was served to the audience.. At the
63rd Filmfare Awards, she was nominated twice for the
Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for the films
Bareilly Ki Barfi and
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (both 2017). She received her third nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress at the
65th Filmfare Awards for her role in
Bala (2019). In 2020, she starred as Nani in
Chintu Ka Birthday (2019), which won her the
Filmfare OTT Award for Best Supporting Actress (Web Original). She made her directorial debut with the film
Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi which premiered at Mumbai Film Festival in 2019 followed by a theatrical release in 2021. The film earned her the
Filmfare Award for Best Debut Director at the
67th Filmfare Awards. == Personal life ==