Nayantara

Nayantara born 18 November 1984 as Diana Mariam Kurian is an Indian film actress from Kerala, who appears in South Indian films. She made her acting debut in the 2003 Malayalam film Manassinakkare and followed with Vismayathumbathu 2004 before foraying into Tamil and Telugu cinema.

She made her debut in Tamil cinema in 2005 with Ayya and a year later in Telugu with Lakshmi, after which she was the female lead in numerous commercially successful Tamil and Telugu films, making herself as one of the most sought after actresses in Tamil and Telugu cinema. In 2010, she also made her Kannada film debut through the film Super. Her portrayal of Sita in Sri Rama Rajyam 2011 earned her Filmfare Award for Best Telugu Actress and Nandi Award for Best Actress.

Career

While studying at college, Nayantara was working as a part-time model. She was spotted by director Sathyan Anthikkad, who had seen some of her modelling assignments and approached her to play a pivotal role opposite Jayaram in his film Manassinakkare 2003. Although she turned down the offer initially, as she was not interested in films, she gave in eventually and agreed to do "just that one movie". Manassinakkare went on to become a high financial success and she continued to receive acting offers. Her both 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. Her performance in Vismayathumbathu, in particular, was lauded, with critics claiming that she had "stolen the thunder with her author-backed role", and was "the revelation of the film". She also acted opposite Mammootty in Thaskara Veeran and Rappakal.

In 2010, all her releases, which featured her as the female lead, turned out to be commercial successes: she had five box office hits in the four Southern languages – Bodyguard (Malayalam), Adurs and Simha (Telugu), Boss Engira Bhaskaran (Tamil) and Super (Kannada). She won the Asianet Award for Best Actress for her performance in Bodyguard. The latter three, in particular, were exceptionally successful, with Simha becoming one of the highest-grossing Telugu films of the year and Boss Engira Bhaskaran releasing to highly positive reviews, and becoming a blockbuster. Upendra's Super, which marked her debut into the Kannada film industry opened to rave reviews, while her performance was also praised by critics. Her performances in Simha, Boss Engira Bhaskaran and Super eventually fetched her nominations for the Filmfare Best Actress Award in the respective languages. She also starred in Shyamaprasad's critically acclaimed Malayalam film Elektra. Her performance was well appreciated by critics when it was screened at the International Film Festival of India. The film was also screened at the Dubai International Film Festival.

Her only release in 2011 was the mythological film Sri Rama Rajyam by Bapu, in which she played the role of Sita. She received critical acclaim for her performance in the film with Rediff.com noting that "Nayanthara is the surprise package of the film. As Sita, she too has played the role of her lifetime. She gave a fine understated performance conveying a kaleidoscope of emotions", while Sify commented "Nayanthara gave a fitting answer to all, unleashing grace and accomplishing the assignment with absolute perfection." Subsequently, she was awarded the Nandi Award for Best Actress and the Filmfare Award for Best Telugu Actress. The film was dubbed in the media as her swan song and considered to be her last release before her marriage as she was reported to quit acting thereafter.

However, after her break-up with Prabhu Deva, she made a comeback; she began shooting for Krish's Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum in March 2012, after an 11-months sabbatical. She portrayed the role of a journalist in this movie and her performance was also praised, with a reviewer from Sify stating that "Nayanthara does not play the normal commercial glam-doll for a change and she is good. As a reporter, she looks good and her chemistry with Rana is perfect". Her first release in 2013 was Greeku Veerudu . Her performance was also praised, with a reviewer from Sify writing that "Nayanthara looks beautiful in trendy costumes as well as in designer sarees. Her chemistry with Nagarjuna is equally nice and perfect. After a long Nagarjuna found his best pair".[citation needed] Her next film, Raja Rani was her first Tamil release after three years that had her in a lead role, which was was followed by Vishnuvardhan's Arrambam. Both films became very successful at the box office.

In 2014, she appeared in Idhu Kathirvelan Kadhal which was directed by S. R. Prabhakaran. Her next release was the bilingual thriller Anamika (Telugu)/Nee Enge En Anbe (Tamil) directed by Shekhar Kammula. She has three projects coming up: Idhu Namma Aalu by Pandiraj, Thani Oruvan by M. Raja, and Nanbenda by newcomer Jagadish.

Relationships

While shooting for her Tamil film Vallavan, she was romantically linked with the film's director and co-actor Silambarasan Rajendar. She initially denied the reports. In November 2006, however, she confirmed that she and Silambarasan had broken up, going on to add that she will not work with him again.

During the making, in 2008, and after the release of her film Villu, reports suggested that she was in a relationship with its director Prabhu Deva, with some sources even claiming that both had married secretly in June 2009. She had tattooed his name on her wrist, and began appearing with him in public, while keeping silence and refusing to comment about the issue, neither denying nor confirming the relationship. In September 2010 then, Prabhu Deva openly confessed his love for Nayantara and further stated that he would marry her soon. The issue soon gained media attention and turned into a controversy, since Prabhu Deva was already married and not divorced yet. His wife Ramalath, unwilling to agree for a divorce, filed a petition at the family court, sought directions against her husband and Nayantara from marrying, attending functions together and receiving awards as husband and wife and requested a reunion with him. Furthermore, Ramalath threatened to go on hunger strike, if Prabhu Deva married Nayantara, while several women's organizations also conducted protests against Nayantara for "bringing disrepute to Tamil culture", burning an effigy of her. In 2012, Nayantara confirmed that she had ended her relationship with Prabhu Deva.

Beliefs

On 7 August 2011, she converted to Hinduism at the Arya Samaj Temple in Chennai. She went through Shuddhi Karma, a procedure involving a Vedic purification and a Homam where Nayan chanted the hymns from Veda and Gayatri Mantra under the guidance of the priest. After the purification ceremony, a Certificate of Conversion to Hinduism was issued to her and her stage name, Nayantara, became her official name. She also visited a number of Holy places including Haridwar and Rishikesh in May 2014. She was dressed in Saffron clothes and wore Rudrakshas during her visit.