A leading actress in the South Indian film industry, Anjali is mainly known for starring in Tamil and Telugu movies. She made her big screen debut with the Telugu film Photo and then appeared in her maiden Tamil movie Kattradhu Thamizh, winning the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut- South, and the Vijay Award for Best Debut actress. She has since then starred in movies like Angadi Theru (2010), Engaeyum Eppothum (2011), Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu (2013), and Geethanjali (2014).

Early Life
Born in Razole, Andhra Pradesh, Anjali did her schooling in Razole and then shifted to Chennai, where she pursued a degree in Mathematics. Soon after she completed her studies, Anjali began her career by acting in short films. She has two brothers and a sister and considers her family to be her biggest support system.

Movie Career
Filmmaker Kalanjiyam wanted to launch Anjali in the Telugu industry. He cast her in three of his films- Sathamintri Muthamidu, Valiba Desam and En Kanavu Thaanad, but all three failed to materialize. Thereafter, Anjali started concentrating on her modeling career and while on an assignment one day, she was spotted by Siva Nageswara Rao who offered her his next directorial venture Photo (2006). The movie failed to garner any good reviews and her next Telugu film Premalekha Raasa (2007) was also a box office disaster. She made her Tamil movie debut in 2007 with the psychological thriller film Kattradhu Thamizh. Directed by Ram, the movie opened to good reviews, garnering critical acclaim from across the industry. At the 55th Filmfare Awards South, Anjali won the Best Female Debut. In 2008, Anjali appeared in her first Kannada movie-Honganasu, which received a very poor commercial and critical response. She next starred opposite Mahesh in the romantic drama Angadi Thedu. Directed by Vasanthabalan, the movie was a huge success and was shortlisted for the Indian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. For her portrayal of Kani, a strong and independent girl, Anjali bagged the Filmfare Award and Vijay Award for Best Actress.

Following the success of Angadi Thedu, Anjali featured in movies like Rettaisuzhi (2010), Magizhchi (2010), Payyans (Anjali`s Malayalam movie debut; 2011), Karungali (2011), and Mankath (2011). Her biggest hit in 2011 was A. R Murugadoss maiden production Engaeyum Eppothum. Directed by M.Saravanan, the film was not only a commercial success but was also very well received, critically. For her portrayal of the bold nurse, Manimegalai, Anjali received several accolades and took home another Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She sbusequenly starred in Tamil films like Thambi Vettothi Sundaram (2011), Maharaja (2011), Aravaan,(2012), and Kalakalappu (2012).

In 2012, she returned to Telugu cinema with the drama film Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu. Featuring Daggubati Venkatesh, Mahesh Babu, Anjali and Samantha Ruth Prabhu in the lead roles, the movie became the second highest Telugu film of that year. In the following year, Anjali appeared in the Tamil comedy film Settai, an official remake of the Bollywood film Delhi Belly. In 2014, the actress was awarded South Indian Cinematographers Association Award For Best Actress for her movie Geethanjali, a horror comedy in which she plays a double role. The year 2015 saw her appearing in three films in three different languages- Kannada film Rana Vikrama, Tamil film Sakalakala Vallavan, and Telugu film Shankarabaranam.

Her 2016 projects include Telugu films like Dictator, Sarainodu, and Sarada. She also starred in a romantic Tamil film Mapla Singam, which was averagely received at the box office. Her 2020 releases include Nishabdham and Naadodigal 2. Her 2021 release includes Vakeel Saab.