Kimi Katkar made her acting debut in the 1985 film, Patthar Dil as a supporting actress. Later that year, she starred in Tarzan (the English title of the movie being, Adventures of Tarzan), where she played the lead opposite Hemant Birje. After the film, she continued to work throughout the late 1980s, followed by films like Vardi, Mard Ki Zubaan, Mera Lahoo, Dariya Dil, Gair Kanooni, Jaisi Karni Vaisi Bharni, Sherdil and Zulm Ki Hukumat.In the movie Hum (1991), she played the lead actress opposite Amitabh Bachchan. In the film, she was cast as Jumma. The song "Jumma Chumma De" from this movie was sung by playback singers Sudesh Bhonsle and Kavita Krishnamurthy. Thereafter, she started restricting herself to limited movies. A few films later, she confined herself to being a conventional dancer, doing purely the song-and-dance routines in films that starred Govinda.