Mangal which was about India's first interplanetary expedition, Mars Orbiter Mission. Pannu liked the idea of a space film with several leading ladies in it. With a global collection of over , Mission Mangal proved Pannu's biggest financial success. Her final film of the year was Tushar Hiranandani's biographical film Saand Ki Aankh, co-starring Bhumi Pednekar. Pannu portrayed the role of Prakashi Tomar who is one of the world's oldest sharpshooters for which she underwent three months of training in pistol shooting. Her role was well received with Anna M. M. Vetticad writing that both Pannu and Pednekar succeed in "delivering equally finely tuned, sensitive performances." Pannu and Pednekar received the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress. Pannu's sole release of 2020 was Anubhav Sinha's social drama Thappad, where she played the role of Amrita, a home-maker who files for divorce after her husband slaps her. She said that the character's "righteousness, her maturity to handle every situation" made her suffocate. The film and Pannu's performance met with critical acclaim. Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express noted that she "drives the film, but the effort she puts into her performance shows." Pannu was awarded with the Filmfare Award for Best Actress and received a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress nomination. Pannu's first releasee of 2021 was the romantic murder mystery Haseen Dillruba opposite Vikrant Massey. The film premiered on 2 July 2021 on Netflix and emerged as the most-watched Hindi film on the platform that year. Both the film and Pannu's performance were however poorly received by critics, with Rohan Naahar from Hindustan Times calling it a "hot mess" and describing it as "illogical" and "ill-conceived" while adding that "Pannu’s performance as a bored housewife named Rani is all over the place". Film critic Shubhra Gupta from Indian Express stated "Pannu's delivery in her films remains same, only the costume changes" She then appeared in the Tamil-language horror comedy Annabelle Sethupathi opposite Vijay Sethupathi. Her final film of the year was Rashmi Rocket, a sports drama that tells a story of an Indian track and field athlete who was subject to gender testing due to being diagnosed with hyperandrogenism. Ronak Kotecha of The Times of India commented, “Pannu once again proves her mettle. Her effort to celebrate Rashmi’s victory and endure her pain, is as real as it gets and the actress doesn't miss the beat when it comes