Happy Birthday Nayanthara: Meet the ‘Lady Superstar’ who is foraying into Bollywood with Jawan

As Nayanthara turns 38, here's a look at the Lady Superstar's journey to superstardom.

By: Entertainment Desk , Edited by Kirubhakar Purushothaman

Chennai | Updated: November 18, 2022 09:04 AM IST

5 min read

Nayanthara is celebrating her 38th birthday today. (Image: Instagram/Nayanthara)

It is an age-old trend for any top South Indian female actor to venture into Hindi and expand her horizon. From Sridevi to Jayaprada to Asin to Kajal Aggarwal to Tamannaah Bhatia, the examples are plenty. However, the success stories of such migrations are few and far between. Now, Nayanthara joins the bandwagon. But Nayanthara is unique in a way that Bollywood has come knocking on her door than the other way around. Even at the peak of her career, the actor chose to rule the roost in the South with much elan than pursuing the Bollywood dream. Maybe, that’s why she is fondly referred to as Lady Superstar by the audience down south. Now, on her 38th birthday, if you want to know more about the female lead in Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan, you have come to the right place.

Nayanthara’s birth name is Diana Mariam Kurian. Born to Malayali parents in Karnataka, Nayanthara spent her early days in Bangalore Delhi and Gujarat, and eventually settled with her family in her father’s native place Thiruvalla, Kerala. A few months ago, a video of Nayanthara from her anchoring days went viral. The immense transformation of Nayan from being a girl-next-door to a stunning actor surprised fans. It was also reflective of the long and ever-changing journey of the actor.

After her initial days as an anchor and model, an acting opportunity came her way. The makers of Manassinakkare (2003) approached her for a lead role in the Malayalam film. Hesitantly, then 19-year-old Diana accepted the movie, which turned out to be a hit. More opportunities came her way. Among them was Sarathkumar’s Tamil film Ayya (2005). Even before the movie was released, Nayanthara was roped in for Rajinikanth’s Chandramukhi (2005). Within two years of her debut, Nayanthara was paired opposite the Superstar. And now, after two decades, she is known as Lady Superstar.

Nayanthara quickly made her foray into Telugu film industry as well with Lakshmi (2006), which turned out to be the biggest blockbuster of the year. Thus, the actor’s ascension to superstardom became instantaneous. Yet, she chose to play some unique roles. The case in point is late filmmaker Jananathan’s film E. The actor played the role of a bar dancer in the movie opposite Jiiva.

And that’s the time when Nayanthara went through an immense body transformation losing oodles of weight. She was seen in an ultra-glamorous avatar in Ajith’s Billa. Then came the series of wonderful performances in films like Yaaradi Nee Mohini, Boss Engira Bhaskaran, Sri Rama Rajyam, Raja Rani and Naanum Rowdy Dhaan. However, Nayanthara became a bankable solo heroine in the year 2017, when she acted in the films Dora and Aramm. That year changed things for both Nayanthara and the film industry. Producers started banking on the trend of female-centric movies, and Nayanthara was at the forefront of the change. She continued her success with Kolamaavu Kokila and Immaika Nodigal.

Not just with films, but even in her personal life, Nayanthara made decisions unabashedly. After two sour relationships which made headlines, the actor started dating Naanum Rowdy Thaan director Vignesh Shivan. The couple never bothered to answer questions about their relationship for a long time but continued to exhibit their love for each other. Recently, they again made news by announcing to the world that they are parents, which led to a lot of debate and investigation about surrogacy. And like always, Nayanthara came out on top.

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Over the years, many female actors have reached superstar status like Savitri and Padmini. Manorama, Radhika and Sarika were also often referred to as Lady Sivaji Ganesan. However, Nayanthara enjoys a unique position in the industry. Though the aforementioned veterans were acting even in their 40s, their roles were mostly reduced to supporting characters. On the other hand, at 38, Nayanthara is still at the top with roles that are on par with the heroes of the film. It is safe to say that Nayanthara has set a precedent of sorts in an industry where the career span of heroines is far shorter than that of heroes.

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