Nayanthara gave up non-veg food to play Sita in Sri Rama Rajyam amid protests against her casting: ‘She didn’t even drink water from the hotel’

In her Netflix documentary, Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale, a member of the film’s team revealed the lengths to which she went to embody the character of Sita, even quitting non-veg food completely during the film’s shoot. “There was strong opposition to her playing Sita. There were protests in both Tamil and Telugu industries. People were dead against her being cast as Goddess Sita. She overcame all of it to build the character. From the start to the end of shooting, she stayed at Taj Krishna. The hotel served non-vegetarian food, but she didn’t even drink water from the hotel during the filming. We brought her vegetarian meals from outside. It was a penance for her,” the team member shared.

Nayanthara’s commitment extended beyond her dietary changes. Her dedication to the role and her performance eventually won over critics and audiences alike. Sri Rama Rajyam was supposed to mark her farewell from cinema, as she had decided to leave the industry for her personal life. In her documentary, she revealed that the person she was dating at the time—without directly naming Prabhu Deva—had asked her to quit films post-marriage, and she had agreed.

Prabhu Deva, still married to Latha at the time, had publicly announced his intentions to marry Nayanthara. However, his wife refused to grant him a divorce, leading to the end of his relationship with Nayanthara. Following this personal upheaval, Nayanthara took a brief hiatus from the industry between 2011 and 2012. However, she continued working after a year’s break.