2017–2020: Early career

Leela made her film debut with Chitrangada (2017), portraying the younger version of Sindhu Tolani's character.^[13] Director A. P. Arjun came across Leela's pictures, taken by cinematographer Bhuvan Gowda, on social media and cast her in his 2019 film, Kiss. The actress has stated that she chose to start her career in Kannada-language films as she grew up in Bangalore, despite having contacts in Telugu cinema.^[14]

Filming for Kiss began in 2017, while Leela was in the first year of her pre-university course.^[5] The film was released in 2019 and proved successful at the box office.^[15] A. Sharadhaa of The New Indian Express stated that Leela made a confident debut, writing, "Sreeleela looks stylish and garners equal attention."^[16] Times of India critic Vinay Lokesh echoed the sentiment by stating that Leela shined in her role.^[17] A month later, her second film, Bharaate, opposite Sriimurali, was released.^[18] Reviewing her performance for The News Minute, Aravind Shwetha wrote: "Leela is good and holds her own along with Sri Murali when it comes to acting and screen presence."^[19] Sharadhaa of The New Indian Express wrote that, "This is Sreeleela's second film, and she seems to be getting comfortable with being in front of the camera, and delivers what the role demands."^[20]

2021–present

In 2021, Leela was cast in the romantic musical film Pelli SandaD, marking her debut in Telugu cinema.^[21] The actress described her character as a "role to die for".^[22] While the film received negative reviews, Leela's role garnered appreciation from critics.^[23] Sangeetha Devi of The Hindu called the film a "costly showreel" of the lead pair, Roshan and Leela, opining that they looked fresh and effervescent but lacked chemistry.^[24]

In 2022, Leela starred in the Kannada romantic comedy By Two Love. Appreciating her performance, Sunayana Suresh of The Times of India stated: "Sreeleela steals the show with a role that offers her to be more than just eye candy in a film. She shines especially in the emotional scenes."^[25] Sharadhaa of The New Indian Express felt it was "a delight to watch" her in the film.^[26] A review from Deccan Herald opined that while she was impressive, Leela's Kannada pronunciation had room for improvement.^[27] She later made a special appearance in the song "Trademark" from the 2022 film James.^[28] Following the success of Pelli SandaD, Leela received multiple offers in Telugu films.^[23][29] She next starred in Dhamaka, beside Ravi Teja. The film was a box office success.^[30]

She then starred in Skanda, with Ram Pothineni.^[31] The film received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics and was a commercial failure.^[32] Leela then appeared in Bhagavanth Kesari, alongside Nandamuri Balakrishna and Kajal Aggarwal, directed by Anil Ravipudi. The film received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics.^[33] The film was a box office success, becoming one of the top-grossing Telugu films of 2023, and Leela received praise for her performance.^[34] She then appeared in the film Aadikeshava, opposite Panja Vaisshnav Tej and directed by Srikanth N Reddy, which too was a critical and commercial failure.^[35] She also starred in Extra Ordinary Man, opposite Nithin, which came out on December 8, 2023. The film received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics and was a box-office-bomb.^[36]

In 2024, Sreeleela played the lead opposite Mahesh Babu in Guntur Kaaram.^[37] Neeshita Nyayapati of Hindustan Times wrote, "While Sreeleela dances like a dream, her character could've had some bearing on the story in the least."^[38]