A college graduate hailing from Thiruvalla had her life changed overnight 22 years ago when veteran Malayalam director Sathyan Anthikad cast her as the leading lady in Manasinakkare, opposite a senior superstar Jayaram. Since then, there has not been any looking back for the actress who went on to conquer the Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu film industries. The actress in question is Nayanthara. On completing 22 years in the film industry, the actress took to her Instagram story to share a thank you note for fans and film lovers everywhere. The actress wrote, "22 years since I first stood in front of the camera, not knowing movies would become the love of my life. Every frame, every shot, every silence… Shaped me, healed me, and made me who I am. Forever grateful." Among the most highly paid actresses in the country, Nayanthara achieved stardom with her work in Tamil cinema. She made her debut in Tamil cinema opposite Sarath Kumar in Ayya in 2005. She then went on to make a name for herself with leading roles opposite stars like Rajinikanth, Surya, and Silambarasan with films like Chandramukhi, Ghajini, and Vallavan, respectively. Also Read | Doctor turns 4: Nelson Dilipkumar’s deadpan classic starring Sivakarthikeyan marked the emergence of a new comedic voice in Tamil cinema The actress made her Telugu debut in the year 2006 opposite Venkatesh with the blockbuster Lakshmi. Nayanthara has been juggling work between the various South industries for over 15 years with hits in her own name and increasing stardom in all languages, especially Tamil. She married her Naanum Rowdy Thaan director Vignesh Sivan in 2022. The couple has two kids. Nayanthara has acted in over 75 films as now in various regional languages. Also Read | Dude trailer: Pradeep Ranganathan’s wacky romantic comedy with Mamitha Baiju looks chaotic Meanwhile, she balanced her career by being part of tentpole star films across languages. Her solo films like Maya, Dora, Aramm and Airaa stood testament to her capacity to headline films alone. Nayanthara was recently seen in Shah Rukh Khan's Jawaan (her Bollywood debut) and Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food. Nayanthara is coming out with a long list of projects in the near future across languages. Dear Students, opposite Nivin Pauly and Patriot opposite Mammootty and Mohanlal are her next immediate Malayalam releases. 'Hi' oppsite Kavin is her next release in Tamil.
