Tara made her first appearance on screen for a Tamil film Ingeyum Oru Gangai directed by noted actor, Manivannan, in 1984 which also featured Murali in the lead. Followed by this, she featured in her first Kannada film Thulasidala in 1985. However, she got the big break of her career through a Rajkumar starrer Guri in 1986 and thereafter she has acted in several movies as a leading lady and mainly as supporting actress. Her performance in Girish Karnad's Kanooru Heggadithi brought her widespread recognition. She received her first ever award as best actress for the Kannada movie Krama (1991), directed by debutant director Asrar Abid. In the late 1980s, she featured in Mani Ratnam's two of the biggest blockbuster Tamil films, Nayagan and Agni Natchathiram as a supporting actress.