She appeared in a series of commercial action films opposite such actors, including roles in Aai (2005), Chanakya (2005) and Aanai (2005). In the mid 2000s, she quickly became popular in Tamil language films with her mature look and tall frame prompting film makers to cast her opposite ageing actors such as Vijayakanth, Sathyaraj, Arjun, Parthiban, Sundar C and Sarathkumar. She had also briefly given herself the stagename of "Bhairavi" for the film, but later reverted to her original name. Her next film, Saran's big budget action film Gemeni (2002) opposite Venkatesh, garnered her further attention and her portrayal of a Marwardi girl won critical acclaim. After being selected, she consequently made her acting debut in Sreenu Vaitla's coming-of-age romantic film, Sontham (2002), where she played the love interest of two characters in a love triangle.
Unable to make a breakthrough into the Hindi film industry, she enrolled in an English Literature course and then considered returning to Surat but chose to later accept an invitation to audition for a Telugu film.
The publicity she garnered during the competition prompted her to move to Mumbai and subsequently she did a number of TV commercials such as Himani cream and hand soap, Arun Ice Creams, Manikchand Gutka, and Nile Herbal Shampoo early in her career. She went on to participate in the 2001 Miss India pageant and ended up as the fourth runner-up, while Celina Jaitley was crowned Miss India. Starting her career as a beauty pageant contestant, Namitha was crowned Miss Surat during the year of 1998 at the age of 17. In 2012, the actress was chosen by Tokyo TV, a Japanese media station, as the "most beautiful person" in India. In October 2010, there was an attempt to kidnap her by a fan at Trichy in Tamil Nadu. She became the second actress after Kushboo in the state to be immortalised in such a fashion by her fan following. Since 2010, box office success has evaded Namitha, prompting her to appear in less film roles and experience a decline in her fan following.At the height of her success in 2008, Namitha's devotee built her a temple near Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. By the end of the decade, Namitha was amongst the most popular actresses in Tamil cinema and enjoyed a cult-like fan following from audiences across Tamil Nadu. In the mid-2000s, she achieved popularity through her glamorous roles in Tamil films and often starred opposite older actors. She competed in the Miss India 2001 pageant, before making her film debut through the Telugu romantic film Sontham (2002). Namitha Vankawala is an Indian film actress who has predominantly been active in the South Indian film industry.