Shetty made her acting debut with the 2018
Kannada period action film,
KGF: Chapter 1 opposite
Yash. It was directed by
Prashanth Neel. She portrayed a head strong girl, Reena Desai. The film was a box office success and became the
highest grossing Kannada film of the year. Manoj Kumar R. of
The Indian Express felt her character was "underwritten". The film earned her nominations for
Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut – South and
SIIMA Award for Best Female Debut – Kannada. In 2022, following a four year hiatus, she reprised her role of Reena in the film's
sequel,
KGF: Chapter 2. The film emerged as the
second highest grossing Indian film of the year and the
highest grossing Kannada film of all time. Both the films also rank among the
highest-grossing Indian film of all time.
Taran Adarsh stated, "Srinidhi looks stunning and delivers a worthy performance". Her performance earned her the
SIIMA Award for Best Actress – Kannada. In the same year, Shetty made her
Tamil debut with action thriller film
Cobra alongside
Vikram. The film was a
box-office failure. She portrayed Bhavana Menon, a criminology professor. Her character received mixed reviews from critics. Following another three year hiatus, Shetty expanded to
Telugu films in 2025 with
HIT: The Third Case. She played an IPS officer Mrudula, opposite
Nani. Sangeeta Devi Dundoo of
The Hindu noted, "Srinidhi is a welcome addition to the franchise, bringing both elegance and an unexpected twist to the narrative." The film became a commercial success and the
sixth highest grossing Telugu film of the year. She then played an IVF specialist Dr. Raaga Kumar in the Telugu film
Telusu Kada opposite
Siddhu Jonnalagadda. T. Maruthi Acharya of
India Today stated, "Srinidhi leaves a strong mark in flashbacks and emotional sequences, giving Raaga depth and nuance with her performance." ==Media image==