Ahuja made his acting debut with the critically acclaimed Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi which debuted at various film festivals in 2004 and was released in theatres in 2005. The film won Shiney Ahuja rave reviews and was viewed as one of the best films of that year.In 2006 Ahuja was awarded Best male debut by Filmfare, Screen, Iffwa, Zee and Stardust for his performance. He then became popular with his title role in Mahesh Bhatt’s Gangster (2006) which was both a critical and commercial success for which he was awarded best actor by stardust in 2007. He also received the Society Young Achiever’s Award in 2007 for the same.

His next release in 2006 was Woh Lamhe which was critically acclaimed and did well at the box office. The film was based on the real-life story on the romance between Bollywood director Mahesh Bhatt and the late actress Parveen Babi, the 1970s glamour girl. His first 2007 film Life In A… Metro opposite Shilpa Shetty picked up after a slow start and became a box office hit. His recent releases were Bhool Bhulaiya which has been very successful at the box office and Khoya Khoya Chand for which he received the Kalakar award for best actor in 2008.