Nayanthara (born Diana Mariam Kurian; 18 November 1984)[1] is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi cinema.

[7] Nayanthara went on to establish herself as one of the leading actresses of South Indian cinema with such female-led films as Anaamika (2014), Maya (2015), Dora (2017), Aramm (2017), Imaikkaa Nodigal (2018), Airaa (2019), Mookuthi Amman (2020), Netrikann (2021) and Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food (2023).

Her other notable films include Chandramukhi (2005), Ghajini (2005), Billa (2007), Yaaradi Nee Mohini (2008), Bodyguard (2010), Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum (2012), Thani Oruvan (2015), Kaashmora (2016), Viswasam (2019), Bigil (2019), Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy (2019).

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.

[29] While still shooting for Ayya, she was selected for the comedy horror film Chandramukhi,[30] after its director P. Vasu's wife had seen Manassinakkare and recommended her.

[31] The film ran for over 800 days in theatres,[citation needed] eventually turning Nayanthara into one of the most-sought after actresses in Tamil.

A remake of the 1980 Tamil film of the same name, it went on to become a success at the box office,[vague][42] with Nayanthara receiving critical and popular acclaim for her performance as Sasha in her new glamorous look.

The reviewer further wrote: "Nayanthara has gone full throttle to look her sexiest best [...] She has a beautiful body which she flaunts daringly [...] and is also able to bring out the cold aloofness and bitterness of her character.

She breaks into tears when needed, shows vicious contempt when rubbed the wrong way in the name of love, and looks endearing in songs".

Nowrunning.com stated that she "exhibits her acting skills in full measure [and] gives a moving performance in emotional scenes",[46] while Sify's critic wrote that she looked "sensational and has done a great job in perhaps the meatiest role she has done so far".

The latter three, in particular, were particularly notable 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.

[50] Upendra's Super, which marked her debut into the Kannada film industry, opened to rave reviews, while her performance was also praised by critics.

"[55] Sify commented "Nayanthara gave a fitting answer to all, unleashing grace and accomplishing the assignment with absolute perfection.

[60] She portrayed the role of a journalist and her performance was praised, with a reviewer from Sify stating that "Nayanthara does not play the normal commercial glam-doll for a change and she is good" and "her chemistry with Rana is perfect".

[63] Her next release, Vishnuvardhan's Arrambam (2013), featuring Ajith Kumar in the lead, also won acclaim with a reviewer from Rediff stating that "Nayanthara looks gorgeous and does full justice to her character", while Behindwoods critic stated that "Nayanthara puts out a fiery face when required and also showcase her oomph and style in many scenes, adding "this superstar continues to shine".

[66] 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 went on to win her second Filmfare Award for her role of a deaf girl seeking revenge in Vignesh Shivan's black comedy Naanum Rowdy Dhaan (2015).

[67] A video clip from the film Naanum Rowdy Dhaan went viral on social media where Nayanthara was seen buying liquor from a shop.

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).

She went on to portray the main lead in Nelson Dilipkumar's directorial Kolamaavu Kokila and the thriller Imaikkaa Nodigal alongside actor Atharvaa.

Her first release of 2022 was the romantic comedy drama Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal, where she was seen alongside Vijay Sethupathi and Samantha Ruth Prabhu.

Viknesh's survival-thriller O2, where she played a single mother trying to shield her son suffering from cystic fibrosis from the effects of low oxygen.

Subsequently, the movie was removed from Netflix and Nayanthara issued an apology on Instagram for unintentionally causing hurt to Hindu sentiments in her film.

[109] Nayanthara became the only South Indian actress to be featured in the Forbes India "Celebrity 100" list of 2018, with her total annual earning credited at ₹15.17 crore.

[116][117] In 2023, Nayanthara opened her Instagram account, and broke Katrina Kaif's record to become the fastest female actor to reach a million followers.

She is credited for a change in South industry, with her strong role in women-centric films such as Aramm, Maya, Anaamika, Kolamavu Kokila and Netrikann.

[121] She is widely praised for her impactful roles in Sri Rama Rajyam, Raja Rani, Puthiya Niyamam, Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy and much more.

[123] Divya J Shekar of Forbes India noted, "What sets Nayanthara apart from most male stars is her presence and popularity across all the five South Indian states.

[136] Nayanthara in her letter revealed that she apparently waited for nearly two years to claim the copyrighted material under the policy of a no objection certificate from her producer Dhanush in order to freely use it for her documentary.

[138] The actress Nayanthara's acting career spans for two decades in which she has appeared in more than 75 films in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi languages.