Advani made her acting debut with Kabir Sadanand's comedy-drama Fugly (2014), in which she featured alongside an ensemble cast including Mohit Marwah, Arfi Lamba, Vijender Singh, and Jimmy Sheirgill. Her performance met with positive comments; Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama said: "Kiara Advani catches you completely unaware" and has the "combination of looks and talent".,[9] whereas Mehul S Thakkar of Deccan Chronicle noted her performance as being "very striking" and said she "shows a lot of promise," along with praising her versatility and range as an actor.[10] However, the film received mixed reviews, and despite the hype, it emerged as a commercial disappointment grossing ₹148 million (US$2.1 million) on a budget of ₹180 million (US$2.6 million).