Soon after graduating from Lala Lajpat Rai Institute of Engineering and Technology in 2004 with a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electronics & Communication Engineering, Abhinav Shukla participated in the Gladrags Mr. India contest in 2004, winning the title of Mr. Best Potential. Abhinav next participated in the Grasim Mr. India, where he was among the top six.

Making his acting debut, Abhinav was first seen on the small screen in SAB TV`s Jersey No. 10, which is the Indian adaptation of the American series One Tree Hill, in 2007. He was then seen playing supporting roles in several primetime shows such as Jaane Kya Baat Hui, Chotti Bahu - Sindoor Bin Suhagan, geet, Badalte Rishton Ki Dastaan, and Diya Aur Baati Hum. Meanwhile, he also made his feature film debut in 2014 with the movie Roar, which is the story of a group of people trying to outsmart a White Tiger who is in search of its cub. Next, he was cast alongside Zareen Khan and Gautam Rode in the 2017 suspense thriller Aksar 2.