Anandhi made her debut with Maruthi Dasari's coming of age story Bus Stop (2012). Critics responded positively. Her next film, Priyathama Neevachata Kushalama, opened in March 2013 to negative reviews, though a critic claimed that "the saving grace for the film is performance of the lead pair - Varun Sandesh and Hasika", adding that Hasika "looks traditional and has put up a decent show as well."
Anandhi was next seen in Vijay Maddala's next directorial venture Green Signal, where she appeared alongside newcomer Revanth, though the film garnered negative reviews. In early 2013, she had also signed on to appear in the Tamil film, Poriyaalan alongside Harish Kalyan, written by Manimaran. During production, the scope of the film became larger after it was announced that director Vetrimaaran had chosen to invest in the venture as a co-producer.