Mahanta had been acting in plays since her childhood and won many awards. which were followed by appearances in various critically acclaimed short films including
Aaliya, that won the Special Critic Award at the 2012
Mumbai International Film Festival,
Their Story and
Cheng Kurthy. Mahanta has received notable praise for portraying the character of a slum dweller, Jyothi, who works as a housemaid.
The Times of India critic M. Suganth wrote: "It is Urmila Mahanta's understated performance as Jothi that is the film's pivot". Similarly, a reviewer from IndiaGlitz.com noted that Mahanta was "impressive as a short poetry on screen", further adding that she "bubbles with energy and emotes at ease", while another critic quoted: "Urmila is a treat to watch. She delivers what Balaji Sakthivel wants from her. She is cool and passes the test with ease and elan". The film itself received widespread acclaim, with reviewers calling it "excellent", a "must-watch", and even "the film of the year". She then shot for her first Bollywood project,
Pareshaanpur directed Dilip K. Mukharia. and was shortlisted in the Best Picture category at the
86th Academy Awards. In 2014, she made her debut in the Bengali language with the remake of
Vazhakku Enn 18/9,
Chirodini Tumi Je Amar 2, and in her mother tongue Assamese with
TRP Aru. Due to the delay in
Pareshaanpurs release, her maiden Hindi release became
Manjhi - The Mountain Man. In 2015, she began work on her first Malayalam film
Udal and
AR Murugadoss' Hindi directorial
Akira. ==Filmography==