Nayanthara (born Diana Mariam Kurian; 18 November 1984) is an Indian actress and producer known for her work in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. One of the highest-paid actresses in India, she was the only South Indian actress to be featured in Forbes India "Celebrity 100" list in 2018. With a career spanning over two decades, she has appeared in more than 75 films and has received numerous awards, including five Filmfare Awards South, three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, a Nandi Award and seven SIIMA Awards.
Nayanthara made her acting debut with the Malayalam film Manassinakkare in 2003. She debuted in Tamil cinema with Ayya in 2005, in Telugu with Lakshmi in 2006 and Kannada with Super in 2010. Her portrayal of Goddess Sita in the mythological film Sri Rama Rajyam (2011) earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu and the Nandi Award for Best Actress. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil and Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress for her performances in the romantic comedy Raja Rani (2013), the action comedy Naanum Rowdy Dhaan (2015) and the political drama Aramm (2017), for which she won Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress. She was awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Malayalam for her performance in the crime drama Puthiya Niyamam (2016).
Nayanthara established herself as one of the leading actresses of South Indian cinema, particularly through female-led films such as Anaamika (2014), Maya (2015), Dora (2017), Aramm (2017), Imaikkaa Nodigal (2018), Airaa (2019), Mookuthi Amman (2020), Netrikann (2021) and Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food (2023). Beyond these roles, she has starred in several commercially and critically successful films, including Chandramukhi (2005), Ghajini (2005), Billa (2007), Yaaradi Nee Mohini (2008), Body Guard (2010), Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum (2012), Thani Oruvan (2015), Kaashmora (2016), Viswasam (2019), Bigil (2019), Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy (2019). She also made her Hindi film debut with Jawan in 2023, which succeeded commercially and became her highest-grossing film .
In addition to acting, Nayanthara is involved in philanthropy and owns the production house called "Rowdy Pictures". She is married to filmmaker Vignesh Shivan, and the couple has two children.
Early life Nayanthara was born as Diana Mariam KurianSri Birthday Special: Nayanthara Turns 28 . Rediff.com (19 November 2012). Retrieved 10 April 2012. on 18 November 1984Happy birthday Nayantara. indiatoday.com (5 December 2008). Retrieved 10 April 2012.Birthday Special Nayantara rediff.com (18 November 2014) in Bangalore, Karnataka. Nayanthara belongs to a Malayali Syrian Christian family hails from Thiruvalla, Kerala, and was born to Kurian Kodiyattu and Omana Kurian. Her elder brother, Leno, lives in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. As her father was an Indian Air Force official, Nayanthara studied in various parts of India.
Nayanthara did her schooling in Jamnagar, Gujarat and Delhi. She studied at O.E.M Public School in Eraviperoor, Balikamadom Girls Higher Secondary School, Thirumoolapuram in Thiruvalla and then attended Mar Thoma College, Tiruvalla for her bachelor's degree in English Literature.rediff.com: Meet Rajnikanth's new heroine! . Rediff.com. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
Career
Debut and early work (2003–2007) She began her acting career in 2003 with the Malayalam film Manassinakkare. While studying at college, Nayanthara worked part-time as a model. She was spotted by director Sathyan Anthikkad, who had seen some of her modelling assignments and approached her to play a pivotal role in his film Manassinakkare (2003).rediff.com: Meet Rajnikanth's new heroine! . Rediff.com. Retrieved 10 April 2012. Although she turned down the offer initially, as she was not interested in films, she gave in eventually and agreed to do "just that one film". Manassinakkare went on to become a big financial success and she continued to receive acting offers. Both her releases in 2004, Natturajavu by Shaji Kailas, and Fazil's psychological thriller Vismayathumbathu, saw her co-starring alongside Mohanlal; while she played the protagonist's adopted sister in the former, she portrayed a ghost in the latter.Nayantara is the new flavour of Kollywood. Sify.com (6 December 2004). Retrieved 10 April 2012. Her performance in Vismayathumbathu, in particular, was lauded, with critics claiming that she had "stolen the thunder with her author-backed role",Movie Review:Vismayathumbathu. Sify.com. Retrieved 10 April 2012. and was "the revelation of the film".Vismayathumbathu Malayalam Movie Review . IndiaGlitz (4 April 2004). Retrieved 10 April 2012.
Nayanthara subsequently started appearing in Tamil and Telugu films. In 2005, she was cast in Hari's Ayya, debuting in the Tamil film industry as lead heroine of the movie. Behindwoods.com stated that she had made a "sensational debut in Tamil",Ayya Review . Behindwoods (17 January 2005). Retrieved 10 April 2012. while a reviewer from Nowrunning.com said that her "presence with her beautiful smile is crowd winning".Ayya Review . Nowrunning.com (12 January 2005). Retrieved 10 April 2012. While still shooting for Ayya, she was selected for the comedy horror film Chandramukhi,rediff.com: Meet Rajnikanth's new heroine! . Rediff.com. Retrieved 10 April 2012. after its director P. Vasu's wife had seen Manassinakkare and recommended her.rediff.com: Nayantara, the Diwali queen . Specials.rediff.com (12 October 2006). Retrieved 10 April 2012. The film ran for over 800 days in theatres, eventually turning Nayanthara into one of the most-sought after actresses in Tamil. She also acted in Malayalam, Thaskara Veeran and Rappakal both co-starring with Mammootty. Later that year she appeared in AR Murugadoss' Ghajini, in which she played a secondary female character.She was also portrayed in an item song in the film. Nayanthara then accepted to appear in an item number as herself in the Perarasu-directed masala film Sivakasi.Nayan's item number. Sify.com (6 August 2005). Retrieved 10 April 2012.
Nayanthara's first release in 2006 was Kalvanin Kadhali. Indiaglitz.com stated her performance was the "strength of the film".Kalvanin Kadhali Tamil Movie Review . IndiaGlitz (18 February 2006). Retrieved 10 April 2012. She next made her debut in Telugu, starring in the film Lakshmi, following which she performed in Boss, I Love You. Three Tamil films in which she enacted the lead female characters – Vallavan, Thalaimagan and E – were released simultaneously during Deepavali 2006.rediff.com: Nayantara, the Diwali queen . Specials.rediff.com (12 October 2006). Retrieved 10 April 2012. All three films opened to mixed reviews.Movie Review:Thalaimagan. Sify.com. Retrieved 10 April 2012.Movie Review:E. Sify.com. Retrieved 10 April 2012. In Vallavan, she portrayed a lecturer who falls in love with a student younger than her. Sify wrote: "Nayanthara virtually walks away with the film and has never looked so beautiful. She looks gorgeous especially in songs and does justice to her well-etched out role".Movie Review:Vallavan. Sify.com. Retrieved 10 April 2012. The science fiction thriller E featured Nayanthara in the role of a bar dancer. Reviewers from Rediff stated that she made an impact.Watch E for Jeeva . Rediff.com. Retrieved 10 April 2012. Indiaglitz said she was "very adequate and impressive in a slightly complicated role",E Tamil Movie Review . IndiaGlitz (20 October 2006). Retrieved 10 April 2012. and that she had "come up with a good performance". In Thalaimagan, she played a news reporter, with critics agreeing that she did not have much to do in the film.
Public recognition and widespread success (2007–2013) Nayanthara regained her status in Tamil cinema by starring in the Vishnuvardhan-directed gangster film Billa (2007). A remake of the 1980 Tamil film of the same name, it went on to become a success at the box office, with Nayanthara receiving critical and popular acclaim for her performance as Sasha in her new glamorous look. Sify heaped praise on her, describing her as a "show-stopper". The reviewer further wrote: "Nayanthara has gone full throttle to look her sexiest best [...] She has a beautiful body which she flaunts daringly [...] and is also able to bring out the cold aloofness and bitterness of her character.Movie Review:Billa. Sify.com. Retrieved 2012-04-10. Similarly a critic from Nowrunning.com noted that she looked "great in mini-skirts, jacket, dark glasses and tall boots".Billa Review – Tamil Movie Review by Mythily Ramachandran . Nowrunning.com (15 December 2007). Retrieved 10 April 2012. Her performance in Billa earned her first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil, in addition to winning the Vijay Award for Favourite Heroine. The same year, she also starred in the Telugu action drama Tulasi alongside Venkatesh, which proved to be a commercial success and her performance earned her first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu.
In 2008, she had five releases, four of which were in Tamil. Her first release was the family entertainer Yaaradi Nee Mohini. Behindwoods.com wrote: "Nayanthara dispels her bombshell act and proves that she can more than just that. She breaks into tears when needed, shows vicious contempt when rubbed the wrong way in the name of love, and looks endearing in songs". Nowrunning.com stated that she "exhibits her acting skills in full measure [and] gives a moving performance in emotional scenes", while Sify's critic wrote that she looked "sensational and has done a great job in perhaps the meatiest role she has done so far".Movie Review:Yaaradi Nee Mohini. Sify.com. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
Her subsequent appearances were in Kuselan, Satyam and Aegan in 2008. In 2009 she appeared in Villu and Aadhavan.
In 2010, all her releases, which featured her as the female lead, turned out to be commercial successes: she had five box office hits in the four Southern languages – Adhurs (Telugu), Body Guard (Malayalam), Simha (Telugu), Boss Engira Bhaskaran (Tamil) and Super (Kannada). She won the Asianet Award for Best Actress for her performance in Body Guard. The latter three, in particular, were particularly notable for Nayanthara, with Simha becoming one of the highest-grossing Telugu films of the year and Boss Engira Bhaskaran releasing to positive reviews and becoming a financial success. Upendra's Super, which marked her debut into the Kannada film industry, opened to rave reviews, while her performance was also praised by critics. She also starred in Shyamaprasad's critically acclaimed Malayalam film Elektra. Her performance was well appreciated by critics when it was screened at the International Film Festival of India. The film was also screened at the Dubai International Film Festival.
Her only release in 2011 was the mythological film Sri Rama Rajyam (2011) by Bapu, in which she played the role of Sita. She received high critical acclaim for her performance in the film, with Rediff.com noting, "Nayanthara is the surprise package of the film. As Sita, she too has played the role of her lifetime. She gave a fine understated performance conveying a kaleidoscope of emotions." Sify commented "Nayanthara gave a fitting answer to all, unleashing grace and accomplishing the assignment with absolute perfection." Subsequently, she was awarded her first Filmfare Award – Telugu and Nandi Award for her performance. The film was dubbed in the media as her swan song and considered to be her last release before her marriage as she was reported to quit acting thereafter.Ramarajyam- Nayanthara's swan song. Sify.com (15 November 2011). Retrieved 10 April 2012.