[[File:Nirupa Roy 1950.JPG|thumbnail|గదనో బేల్ (1950) చిత్రంలో నిరూపా రాయ్|alt=]]
In1949లో 1946ఈమె, Royఈమె andభర్త herఒక husbandగుజరాతీ respondedదినపత్రికలో toనటీనటులు anకావలెను advertisementఅనే inప్రకటన aచూసి Gujaratiదరఖాస్తు paper looking for actorsచేసుకున్నారు. Sheఈమె wasఎంపిక selectedఅయి andరనక్దేవి startedఅనే herగుజరాతీ actingసినిమాలో careerనటిగా withతన theసినీ Gujaratiప్రస్థానాన్ని film ''Ranakdevi''ఆరంభించింది. Theఅదే sameసంవత్సరం yearహిందీలో sheతన actedమొదటి in her first Hindi filmసినిమా ''[[Amarఅమర్ Raj]]రాజ్''లో నటించింది. One of her popular films was ''[[Do Bigha Zameen|Do Bigha Zamin]]'' (1953). She largely played mythological characters in the films of the 1940s and 50s. Her image of a goddess was very strong and people would visit her home and seek her blessings. Among her co-stars were [[Trilok Kapoor]] (with whom she played in eighteen movies)<ref>{{cite book|last=Rishi|first=Tilak|title=Bless You Bollywood!: A Tribute to Hindi Cinema on Completing 100 Years|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r623sWyGm0sC&pg=PA100|year=2012|publisher=Trafford|isbn=9781466939639|page=100}}</ref>), [[Bharat Bhushan Bhalla|Bharat Bhushan]], [[Balraj Sahni]], and [[Ashok Kumar (actor)|Ashok Kumar]].
In the 1970s, her role as mother to the characters played by [[Amitabh Bachchan]] and [[Shashi Kapoor]] made her name synonymous to the impoverished suffering mother. Her role in ''[[Deewaar]]'' (1975) and its dialogues with reference to a mother and son are used as clichés.
