Aparna completed her schooling from St Pauls EMHSS Tenhipalam in Malappuram district of Kerala. She was introduced to the world of cinema by the veteran Lohithadas in Nivedyam, after he saw her modelling pictures. Post Nivedyam, her claim to fame was her portrayal of the lead Panchali in the play Chayamukhi, which had her sharing the stage with Mohanlal and Mukesh. Aparna portrayed Kaviyoor Ponnamma’s ‘young’ version in the 2009 musical Meghatheertham, a good length role opposite Manikuttan, but the film didn’t have many takers. . In Kayam, Aparna was Bala’s heroine, though Shweta Menon cornered the publicity and the kudos. In the highly successful thriller Cocktail, she was again cast as a second heroine, but as a crucial character whose entry marks the turning point of the tale. She continued her experimental streak in Tamil, in her debut movie Edhuvum Nadakkum, an offbeat entertainer directed by K. Mageshwaran.

She then acted in Beautiful. Aparna Nair, in the role of Meera, has also been receiving accolades for her performance.^[6] "I would say I played myself on screen in Beautiful," she says. Next she shot for Streetlight directed by Sankar, an offbeat released movie, in which she played four roles, that of four different stages of a woman’s career.^[7] She has also worked in a forthcoming untitled Telugu movie. After a fair share of screen space in hit movies such as Mallu Singh ("a perfect entertainer"), Thattathin Marayathu, and in Joshiy’s Run Babby Run.^[8]