Background

Ethnicity: Nayanthara was born to Malayali parents who hail from the aristocratic Kodiyattu family from Thiruvalla, Kerala.

Nayanthara was born on November 18, 1984, in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. She is the daughter of Kurian Kodiyattu, a retired Indian Air Force official, and Omana Kurian. Her elder brother, Lenu, who is nine years older, lives in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Education

Nayanthara studied in various parts of India, mainly in North India. She did her schooling in Jamnagar, Gujarat, and Delhi. In Thiruvalla, she studied at Balikamadom Girls Higher Secondary School and then attended Marthoma College, Thiruvalla, for her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature.

Career

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). 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 high 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. Her performance in Vismayathumbathu, in particular, was lauded, with critics claiming that she had "stolen the thunder with her author-backed role," and was "the revelation of the film." She also acted in Thaskara Veeran and Rappakal.

Nayanthara subsequently started appearing in Tamil and Telugu films. In 2005, she was cast in Hari's Ayya, debuting in the Tamil film industry. While still shooting for Ayya, she was selected for the comedy horror film Chandramukhi, after its director P. Vasu's wife had seen Manassinakkare and recommended her. The film ran for over 800 days in theatres, eventually turning Nayanthara into one of the most sought after actresses in Tamil. Later that year she appeared in A R Murugadoss' Ghajini, in which she played a secondary female character. Nayanthara then accepted to appear in an item number as herself in the Perarasu-directed masala film Sivakasi.

Nayanthara's first release in 2006 was Kalvanin Kadhali. Indiaglitz.com stated her performance was the "strength of the film." 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. All three films opened to mixed reviews. In Vallavan, she portrayed a lecturer who falls in love with a student younger than her. The science-fiction thriller E featured Nayanthara in the role of a bar dancer. In Thalaimagan, she played a news reporter, with critics agreeing that she did not have much to do in the film.

Nayanthara regained her star billing in Kollywood acting in the Vishnuvardhan-directed gangster film Billa (2007). A remake of the same-titled 1980 Tamil film, it went on to become a success at the box office, while Nayanthara received many accolades for her performance as Sasha in her new glamour look. In 2008 she had five releases, four of which were in Tamil. Her first release was the family entertainer Yaaradi Nee Mohini. Her subsequent releases were Kuselan, Satyam, Villu and Aegan. In 2009 she released 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), Bodyguard (Malayalam), Simha (Telugu), Boss Engira Bhaskaran (Tamil), and Super (Kannada). The latter three, in particular, were excellent 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.

For the Malayalam movie Elektra (2010) Nayanthara dubbed her lines for the first time. Then she dubbed for the Telugu film Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum, another Malayalam movie Puthiya Niyamam, Tamil films Iru Mugan, Naanum Rowdy Dhaan and Dora.

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 critical acclaim for her performance in the film. Choosing to make a comeback, Nayanthara began shooting for Krish's Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum (2012) after an eleven-month sabbatical. She portrayed the role of a journalist and her performance was praised. The following year, she won critical acclaim for her performance in Atlee's romantic drama Raja Rani (2013). Her next release, Vishnuvardhan's Arrambam (2013), featuring Ajith Kumar in the lead, also won acclaim. Both films performed well commercially and were amongst the highest-grossing Tamil films of 2013.

Nayanthara's rising popularity as an actress led to her being cast in female-centric films, a genre considered a rarity in South Indian cinema. Sekhar Kammula cast her in the titular role of his bilingual Anaamika (2014), a remake of the Hindi film Kahaani (2012), in which Nayanthara portrayed an IT professional who moves to Hyderabad to look for her missing husband. While Anaamika did middling business, her next female-centric project, the horror film Maya (2015), emerged as a profitable venture commercially. Portraying a single mother with a mysterious past, Nayanthara won acclaim for her performance and her decision to portray an unconventional character.

Along with strong character roles, Nayanthara continued to appear in action and comedy films, including the successful Bhaskar the Rascal (2015) and Thani Oruvan (2015), during the same period. She then played role of a deaf and mute girl seeking revenge in Vignesh Shivan's black comedy Naanum Rowdy Dhaan (2015). Following the success of the film, Nayanthara was referred to in the media as the "Best Actress."

In her first release of 2016, Nayanthara portrayed a rape victim in Puthiya Niyamam (2016) opposite Mammootty. She continued to play diverse roles, appearing as a village-based school teacher in Thirunaal (2016), a spy in the commercially successful Vikram-starrer Iru Mugan (2016) and the queen of a fantasy kingdom in Kaashmora (2016). In 2017, she played the main lead in the horror thriller Dora and the critically acclaimed social drama Aramm. Her portrayal of a district collector in Aramm won her the third Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actress. She also played the female lead in the action-thriller Velaikkaran. Her first release in 2018 was a Telugu-language film Jai Simha in which she played the female lead. She went onto portray the main lead in Nelson Dilipkumar directorial Kolamavu Kokila and the thriller Imaikkaa Nodigal alongside actor Atharvaa, with both emerging as blockbusters. In 2019, Nayanthara starred in the highly successful action-drama Viswasam, the horror film Airaa and the romantic comedy Mr. Local. She also appeared in Chakri Toleti's Kolaiyuthir Kaalam, the Malayalam-language film Love Action Drama, and the Surender Reddy directorial Indian historical period drama Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy. Her upcoming projects include Atlee Kumar's directorial sports action film Bigil and AR Murugadoss' directorial action film Darbar.

Achievements

• 

  Nayanthara is known today as one of the most famous and prominent South Indian actresses. She has won over 36 awards in various categories to this date. Her portrayal of Sita in Sri Rama Rajyam earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Telugu Actress and the Nandi Award for Best Actress. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actress for her performance in Raja Rani, Naanum Rowdy Dhaan and Aramm. Kochi Times named her in its "List of 15 Most Desirable Women in 2014." She was voted as the “Most Desirable Woman of Chennai” in a poll conducted by a leading publisher in South India. In 2017, she was awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Malayalam Actress for her performance in Puthiya Niyamam, marking her first Filmfare award in Malayalam. Nayanthara is the only actress to have made it to the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list from South India in 2018. She also appeared in the issue of Vogue India in October 2019.

Works

More photos

• movie

  • Thani Oruvan

    (Thoroughly frustrated with Industrialists and Politicians...)

    2015
  • Kolaiyuthir Kaalam

    (In Kolaiyuthir Kaalam, Shruthi Lawson a deaf and mute gir...)

    2019
  • Thalaimagan

    (Fearless journalist Dheeran runs into the evil axis of po...)

    2006
  • Viswasam

    (A village ruffian, who settles disputes in his native, ta...)

    2019
  • Arrambam

    (A mysterious man along with a young computer hacker tries...)

    2013
  • Massu Engira Masilamani

    (Massu Engira Masilamani also known by its former title Ma...)

    2015
  • Anaamika

    (Anaamika meanders through the busy streets of Hyderabad s...)

    2014
  • Airaa

    (Yamuna is on holiday at her grandma's village bungalow wh...)

    2019
  • Satyam

    (Satyam begins with Sathyam, an assistant police commissio...)

    2008
  • Chandramukhi

    (Saravanan, a psychiatrist, meets up with his foster broth...)

    2005
  • Kaashmora

    (A fake shaman and his family find themselves trapped in a...)

    2016
  • Billa

    (A famous gangster is killed and police send a look-alike ...)

    2007
  • Kuselan

    (The film revolves around a villager, who had shared a str...)

    2008
  • Irumugan

    (Love creates a new drug called Speed which was used by Hi...)

    2016
  • Aadhavan

    (Aadhavan is a professional hit-man who works for Ibrahim ...)

    2009
  • Imaikkaa Nodigal

    (A suave CBI officer is in search of a serial killer who k...)

    2018
  • Nannbenda

    (Two friends, Sathya and Siva, decide to beat up a thug as...)

    2015
  • Thirunaal

    (Blade, a henchman for a local gangster, Naaga, falls in l...)

    2016
  • Aegan

    (Ajith plays a special task force commander, the kind of s...)

    2008
  • Raja Rani

    (John and Regina got married against their wishes, althoug...)

    2013
  • Manassinakkare

    (Manassinakkare is a 2003 Indian Malayalam film, directed ...)

    2003
  • Idhu Kathirvelan Kadhal

    (An ardent devotee of Lord Anjaneya who has no interest in...)

    2014
  • Naanum Rowdy Dhaan

    (Pandian, the son of a police officer, falls in love with ...)

    2015
  • Villu

    (A plainclothes police officer feigns romance with a woman...)

    2009
  • Sivakasi

    (Sivakasi alias Muthappa is a do-gooder in Chennai who wor...)

    2005
  • Sri Rama Rajyam

    (Winner of seven Nandi awards, Sri Rama Rajyam is based on...)

    2011
  • Ethir Neechal

    (Kunjipatham is embarrassed by his name and has low self-c...)

    2013
  • Adhurs

    (The story is about two identical twin brothers who get se...)

    2010
  • Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum

    (Babu, the grandson of Subrahmanyam, the legendary theater...)

    2012
  • Kalvanin Kadhali

    (Satya is a big flirt with little respect for women. He tr...)

    2006
  • Vallavan

    (Watch full movie Vallavan online on erosnow.com Vallavan ...)

    2006
  • Life of Josutty

    (Josutty is the son of Joseph and Shoshamma. He belongs to...)

    2015
  • Yaaradi Nee Mohini

    (Vasudevan is from a middle-class family. He makes several...)

    2008
  • Boss Engira Baskaran

    (Bhaskaran is yet to complete his B. A. Degree, writing ar...)

    2010

Religion

Nayanthara was born and brought up as a Syrian Christian. On August 7, 2011, she embraced Hinduism at the Arya Samaj Temple in Chennai. She has gone through Shuddhi Karma, a procedure involving a Vedic purification and a Homam where she chanted the hymns from the Veda and the Gayatri Mantra under the guidance of the priest. After the purification ceremony, a Certificate of Conversion to Hinduism was issued to her.

Politics

Nayanthara will play a leading role of a politician in Aramm 2, a film about corrupt politicians who prompt her to start a political party. In fact, the film will take on many contemporary social issues and will have dialogues criticizing political parties in Tamil Nadu.

Views

Nayanthara was involved with a controversy between her and the actor Radha Ravi. He made negative comments at the trailer launch of the film Kolaiyuthir Kaalam, which had Nayanthara in the lead role. Later a statement issued by DMK General Secretary K Anbazhagan said that the actor was being suspended from primary membership of the party. “Actor Radha Ravi is being temporarily suspended from primary membership of the party and all party posts for breaching party discipline and acting in a manner that brings disrepute to the party,” said the party.

Nayanthara later said actors like Ravi who have become “irrelevant” rely on “cheap popularity tactics” to grab limelight. She also pointed out that the audience too has some responsibility. “As long as the audience encourage sexist remarks, speakers like Radha Ravi will continue to thrive on misogyny and cracking of denigrating jokes against women,” Nayanthara said in her statement. She urged the South Indian Artistes’ Association to set up the Internal Complaints Committee and start an inquiry as per the Vishakha guidelines.

In her recent interview with Vogue India, Nayanthara opened up on why she is not interacting with the media. "This is my first interview in the last ten years. I don't want the world to know what I'm thinking. I was also misinterpreted and misquoted on many occasions," said Nayanthara.

Quotations: "I've begun my career working with older heroes. The people I had been fan of, I now work with them. It's a great opportunity for me."

"Behind every strong independent women lies a broken little girl who had to learn how to get back up."

"Success is a lonely road, only a few dare to take it."

"When I am in a relationship, I give it my 100%. But then, if it doesn't work, you cannot help it. You cannot move ahead with something which isn't working."

"Bad things written about me do bother me and affect me, but then I have learned to take it in my stride. I have also learned to keep quiet about certain things."

"When you have to go away from someone you love or vice-versa, whatever the reason, it really shatters your life."

"I am always open to working with debutant directors, as they bring a new perspective to a script. That motivates me and helps me choose unique scripts."

"Anything that you do in life, whether it's work or a relationship or marriage, you get into it with a lot of positivity."

Personality

Nayanthara is widely referred to as Lady Superstar and Thalaivi of Tamil cinema. After she had embraced Hinduism, her stage name, Nayanthara, became her official name.

She is one of the few actresses in the business to have acted with all the leading actors in the entertainment industry.

She said that she always lives with the fear of not delivering a good film.

Her most favorite actors are Thala Ajith, Kamal Haasan, and Vijay. She said that the actor Vijay was one of the calmest persons she had ever seen. She also had dreamed about working with Kamal Haasan for a very long time.

She read thoroughly the Sanskrit epic Ramanaya by Valmiki for her role of Sita in the film Sri Rama Rajyam.

She would have been a charted accountant if not an actress.

Nayanthara has been a big fan of cricket since her childhood. Her favorite team is Chennai super Kings, and her favorite cricketers are Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and Shanthakumaran Nair Sreesanth.

Despite being a celebrity, she revealed that she is a very private person. She also dislikes social media in general.

Nayanthara follows a healthy diet and does yoga to remain fit. As for the body care, she loves using neutrogena and Clinique for her skin. She also never steps out without wearing sunscreen. She oils her hair regularly. Nayanthara also loves make-up. She loves intense eyebrows and takes extra care of them. Nayanthara loves glossy brown lipstick with a hint of coral hue to match her skin tone. Nude lips is her signature look. She also loves flaunting bold eyes with lot of kajal.

Nayanthara likes to use traditional dresses such as salwar kameez and frocks. Her favorite fragrances are Polo Sports and Dolce. Her favorite brands of luggage are Gucci and Armani.

Nayanthara likes to listen to romantic and soft music. Her favorite singer is Lata Mangeshkar.

Physical Characteristics: Nayanthara's height is 5' 5'' (165 cm), and she weighs around 117 lbs (53 kg). Her hair and eye colour is black.

She tattooed Prabhu Deva's name on her wrist during a relationship with him.

Quotes from others about the person

• Vijay: "There are women who struggle to win and there’s Nayanthara who has won after all the struggles. I’m proud to work with her."

Interests

• reading, driving, music

• Politicians

  Kamal Haasan

• Writers

  Valmiki

• Artists

  Anu Vardhan

• Sport & Clubs

  yoga, cricket, Chennai super Kings

• Athletes

  Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Shanthakumaran Nair Sreesanth

• Music & Bands

  pop, filmi, Lata Mangeshkar

Connections

Nayanthara's personal life was always subject to widespread media attention because she is one of the few actresses to be romantically linked with high-profile celebrities. Her first known relationship was with fellow actor Silambarasan. They started dating in the year 2006 while working together in a Tamil movie called Vallavan, however, it didn’t last any longer. The couple mutually ended their relationship in 2008.

That same year, Nayanthara and dance choreographer Prabhu Deva began dating and eventually entered into a live-in relationship. In 2010, Prabhu Deva’s wife Latha, who is a classical dancer, moved to the family court, seeking directions against him and requesting a reunion with him. She also threatened to go on a hunger strike if Prabhu Deva married Nayanthara. Even several women’s organizations went on to protest against Nayanthara for bringing disrepute to the Tamil culture and also burned her effigy. Finally, Nayanthara and Prabhu Deva called it quits in 2012.

She is currently in a live-in relationship with filmmaker Vignesh Shivan. She was booked to play a female lead in the movie Naanum Rowdy Dhaan opposite Vijay Sethupathi in 2014, which was directed by Vignesh. During the filming of the film, they developed a feeling for each other and made their relationship public through red carpet appearances. Speculations are rife that Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan will get engaged in late 2019.

Father:

Kurian Kodiyattu

Mother:

Omana Kurian

ex-boyfriend:

Prabhu Deva

Brother:

Lenu Kurian

ex-boyfriend:

Silambarasan

colleague:

Venkatesh Daggubati

colleague:

Akkineni Nagarjuna

colleague:

Ramanathan Sarathkumar

colleague:

Jiiva

colleague:

Prabhas

colleague:

Ravi Teja

colleague:

Ajith Kumar

colleague:

Namitha

colleague:

Dhanush

colleague:

Sreenivasan

colleague:

Jagapati Babu

colleague:

Upendra Rao

colleague:

Vishal Krishna Reddy

colleague:

Mohanlal

colleague:

Mammootty

colleague:

Prakash Raj

colleague:

Suriya

colleague:

N. T. Rama Rao Jr.

colleague:

Dileep

colleague:

Jai Sampath

colleague:

Nandamuri Balakrishna

colleague:

N. Santhanam

colleague:

Manisha Koirala

colleague:

Sivakarthikeyan

colleague:

Nazriya Nazim

colleague:

Udhayanidhi Stalin

colleague:

Jayam Ravi

colleague:

Arvind Swami

colleague:

Vijay Sethupathi

colleague:

Andrea Jeremiah

colleague:

Vikram

colleague:

Karthik Sivakumar

colleague:

Fahadh Faasil

colleague:

Haripriya

colleague:

Saranya Ponvannan

colleague:

Atharvaa Murali

colleague:

Raashi Khanna

colleague:

Sathish Muthukrishnan

colleague:

Bhumika Chawla

colleague:

Nivin Pauly

colleague:

Aju Varghese

colleague:

Vivekanandan

colleague:

Shriya Saran

References

• Nayanthara's official website
• Nayanthara's official Instagram
• Nayanthara's official Twitter