Diana Mariam Kurian, famously known by her stage name, Nayanthara, is an Indian actress primarily known for her work in Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu cinema. Hailed as the ‘Lady Superstar’ of South Indian cinema. She made her acting debut in 2003 with the Malayalam movie Manassinakkare and her Kollywood debut with Ayya (2005). She has since appeared in over 70 films, enjoying tremendous box office success, winning 5 Filmfare Awards and 6 SIIMA Awards and top honors at the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh State Film Awards.
Quick Info
Nickname | Lady Superstar, Nayantara, Nayan and Mani |
Age (in 2023) | 39 years old |
Date of Birth | November 18, 1984 |
Real Name | Diana Mariam Kurian |
Nationality | Indian |
Birthplace | Bangalore, Karnataka, India |
Religion | Hinduism |
Early Life
Nayanthara was born in Bengaluru, India on 18th November 1984. She was born to Omana Kurian and Kurian Kodiyattu, who hails from a noble Kodiyatt family. She has an elder brother named Lenu Kurian, who lives in the United Arab Emirates. As Nayanthara’s father was associated with the Indian Air Force, she studied in numerous parts of India, predominantly in North India. She completed her schooling in Gujarat, Jamnagar, and Delhi. She attended Balikamadom Girls Higher Secondary School and afterward joined Marthoma College, Thiruvalla, to earn her bachelor’s degree with a major in English Literature.
Personal Life
While shooting for the movie Vallavan in 2006, Nayanthara was dating her co-star and director, Silambarasan. However, soon after the movie was released, the couple parted ways. In 2008, Nayanthara started dating choreographer-actor-director Prabhu Deva. However, in 2012, the couple decided to part ways.
Nayanthara is an uprising Indian movie actress who predominantly appears in Tamil movies. In 2003, she made her first acting debut with a Malayalam movie titled Manassinakkare with Jayaram. Nayanthara made her Telegu debut with the movie Lakshmi and her debut with Ayya in Tamil. Both were superhit at the Indian box office. Hereafter, she had several commercially and critically hit Telugu and Tamil movies like Chandramukhi, Tulasi, Dubai Seenu, Yaaradi Nee Mohini, Billa, Adhurs, Aadhavan, Boss Engira Bhaskaran, Simha, Raja Rani, Sri Rama Rajyam, Thani Oruvan, Arrambam, Naanum Rowdy Dhaan, Maya, Iru Mugan and Babu Bangaram.
In 2010, Nayanthara also made her Kannada movie debut with Telugu- Kannada multilingual movie Super, her only presence in a Kannada movie to date. Her depiction of Sita in the movie Sri Rama Rajyam earned her the Nandi Award for Best Actress and the Filmfare Award for Best Telugu Actress. Nayanthara was bestowed with the Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actress for her remarkable acting in Naanum Rowdy Dhan, Aramm, and Raja Rani movies. Kochi Times included her in the 15 Most Desired Women of 2014 list.
In 2017, Nayanthara was honored with the Filmfare Award for Best Malayalam Actress for her role in the movie Puthiya Niyamam, marking her first Malayalam Filmfare award. Nayanthara has been in numerous mega-budget movies. She is working on Chiranjeevi’s Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy and Ajith’s Viswasam. She has also signed a Malayalam movie titled Love Action Drama, in which she will appear together with Nivin Pauly.
Nayanthara tied the knot with filmmaker-lyricist Vignesh Shivan on June 9, 2022.
Movie Career
During her college days, Nayanthara took up a few modeling assignments. During this period, director Sathyan Anthikkad was impressed by her work and decided to cast her in his movie, Manassinakkare. However, having no interest in acting, Nayanthara declined the offer initially, only to accept it later. The movie was released in 2003 and became a commercial hit. Post the success of Manassinakkare, Nayanthara received various acting offers and went on to appear in two Mohanlal-starrers in 2004—Natturajavu and Vismayathumbathu.
After starring in a few Malayalam movies in 2005, Nayanthara made her Tamil film debut with the movie Ayya. The movie turned out to be a hit and her work was praised by the critics and audiences alike. In the same year, she starred alongside Rajinikanth in the horror-comedy flick, Chandramukhi, which went on to become one of the most successful Tamil cinemas ever made. The movie ran for 800 days in theaters and established Nayanthara as one of the most sought-after actresses in the Tamil film industry.
Success in Malayalam and Tamil movies, Nayanthara made her debut in the Telugu film industry in 2006 with Lakshmi. Although the movie was declared a super hit at the box office, it received mixed reviews from critics. The year 2006 turned out to be mediocre for the actress, as her three other Tamil releases—Thalaimagan, Vallavan, and E—were average hits.
In 2007, Nayanthara delivered a power-packed performance in her only release of the year, Billa, which became a huge box hit. Following the success of Billa in 2008, Nayanthara starred in a Family entertainer, Yaaradi Nee Mohini, portraying a non-glamorous role, breaking the stereotype. She won the Vijay Award for Favourite Heroine and was nominated for Best Actress at the 56th Filmfare Awards South. However, her subsequent releases that year turned out to be average hits, and her sole release in 2009 was not well received.
Having received moderate success at the box office for two years, in 2010, Nayanthara delivered five hits in four Southern languages. She appeared in Bodyguard (Malayalam), Simha (Telugu), Adhurs (Telugu), Super (Kannada, Telugu), and Boss Engira Bhaskaran (Tamil). She followed this up with two releases in the next two years – Sri Rama Rajyam in 2011 and Krishnam Vande Jagadguram in 2012 – both these movies were critically acclaimed at the box office, and she was applauded for her work.
In 2013, Nayanthara appeared in Raja Rani, her first Tamil movie after three years. An outright critical and commercial success, the film earned the actress her first Tamil Nadu State Film Award and second Filmfare Award. Subsequently, the actress continued her fine run with hits like Mass (2015) and Thani Oruvan (2015) before winning her next Filmfare Award for her work in the black comedy Naanum Rowdy Dhaan (2015). Two of the three films Nayanthara appeared in 2017 featured her as the solo lead in woman-centric stories: the horror thriller Dora (2017) and the political drama Aramm (2017). While Dora fared reasonably well at the box office despite the mixed reviews, Aramm was a major success regarding box office returns and critical reception, cementing her status as the “Queen of Kollywood.”
In 2018, Nayanthara essayed the titular role in the Tamil black comedy Kolamaavu Kokila, directed by Nelson Dilipkumar. The critics and the audience applauded her stellar performance as an ordinary girl who resorts to extreme measures after being caught up in a smuggling ring’s machinations. In the same year, the actress also appeared in the thriller Imaikka Nodigal (2018), where she starred alongside Anurag Kashyap and Atharvaa Murali. Among Nayanthara`s other notable projects in recent times are the Malayalam romantic comedy Love Action Drama, the Ajith Kumar starrer Viswasam (2019), the Telugu movie Syeraa Narasimha Reddy (2019), and Bigil (2019). Her 2020 release includes Darbar. Her 2020 release includes Darbar and Mookuthi Amman. Her 2021 releases include Nizhal, Netrikann, Aaradugula Bullet, and Annaatthe. Her other notable works include Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal (2022) and O2 (2022), Gold (2022), Jawan (2023) and Godfather (2023).
Height, Weight & Body Measurement
Body Measurements | 34-26-34 inches |
Height | 5 feet 4 inches (1.65 m) |
Weight | 53 kg (116 lbs) |
Hair Color | Black |
Eye Color | Black |
Hobbies | Reading, long driving and listening music |
Nayanthara is 39 years old, 5 Feet 4 inches tall, and weighs 53 Kg. Her body measurements and figures, such as her bust size or bra size, waist size, and hip size, are 34-26-34 inches. Her bra size is 34B, her waist is 26 inches, and her hip size is 34 inches. She is married.
Nayanthara Net Worth and Pay Per Movie
Nayanthara, undoubtedly one of the finest actresses in the South Indian film industry, has forged her path to stardom through unwavering determination and resilience. In the early stages of her career, she faced criticism, particularly regarding her looks in the film “Chandramukhi.” However, the remarkable way she transformed these challenges into stepping stones for her illustrious journey truly defines her.
Combining her inherent talent with sheer hard work, Nayanthara ascended to the coveted position of the female superstar in the South Indian film industry. Today, she stands as one of the highest-paid actresses in southern Indian cinema, commanding a substantial fee ranging from 5 to 10 crores for her roles. She even ventured into Bollywood, earning a substantial sum for her work.
An intriguing aspect of Nayanthara’s career is her journey in the realm of commercials. She refrained from participating in endorsements for a significant portion of her career. However, following her marriage, she also embraced this facet, further expanding her financial horizons.
In a recent development, Nayanthara reportedly charged a staggering five crores for a concise 50-second commercial – a testament to her immense popularity and influence in the industry.
According to the latest survey, her wealth is estimated to exceed 300 crores, a testament to her multifaceted involvement in various businesses and film production. Nayanthara’s inspiring journey is a testament to the fact that unwavering determination and resilience can pave the way to incredible success and financial prosperity, irrespective of one’s origins.
Past Relationships
- Silambarasan a.k.a Simbu (Actor)
- Prabhu Deva (Dancer and Director)
- Vignesh Shivan (Director)
Facts You Never Knew About Nayanthara
- Is Nayanthara addicted to smoking?: No
- Is Nayanthara alcoholic?: Not Known
- She was born to a traditional Syrian Malayali Christian family, but in 2011, she converted to Hinduism at Aarya Samaj Temple in Chennai.
- As Nayanthara’s father was associated with the Indian Air Force, she grew up in different cities of India, like Gujarat, Chennai, and Delhi.
- Nayanthara was the first runner-up in Best Model 2003 in Kerela.
- All through her college days, director Sathyan Anthikkad noticed her and cast her in a Malayalam film afterward.
- Her 2005 movie titled Chandramukhi was such a megahit that it was the lengthiest-running South Indian movie, with more than 800 days at Theaters.
- Nayanthara got her revolutionary role as Goddess Seetha in the movie Sri Rama Rajyam, for which she received Nandi and Filmfare Award.
- If not an actress, then Nayanthara would have been a Professional Chartered Accountant.