A trained Bharatanatyam dancer, Malavika Avinash has been training in the dance form since she was five years old. During a performance, where she was playing the role of Krishna, she was she was spotted by well-known Tamil director G. V. Iyer, who cast her in his 1988 Kannada movie Krishnavataar. After debuting as a child actor at the age of 12, she went on to feature in movies like Nakkala Rajakumari, Daivathinte Vikrithikal, Kalyanothsava, and Samara.

Holding a bachelor`s degree in law from the Bangalore University, and also the 3rd rank that year, Malavika pursued her television career while she had taken a break from movies, featuring in shows such as Mayamruga, Manvantara, Grihabhangra, Anni, and Mukhta before making her big-screen appearance in the 2003 Tamil movie Jay Jay. Known for her work in the Kannada and Tamil film industries, Malavika has movies like Aadhi, Irandu Mugam, Munjane, Myna, Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari, Bairavaa, and Idam Premam Jeevanam. Her 2018 release includes KGF.