Nayanthara

Profile Overview

Nayanthara (born Diana Mariam Kurian; 18 November 1984) is an Indian actress and producer known for her work in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. One of the highest-paid actresses in India, she was the only South Indian actress to be featured in Forbes India "Celebrity 100" list in 2018. With a career spanning over two decades, she has appeared in more than 75 films and has received numerous awards, including five Filmfare Awards South, three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, a Nandi Award and seven SIIMA Awards.
Nayanthara made her acting debut with the Malayalam film Manassinakkare in 2003. She debuted in Tamil cinema with Ayya in 2005, in Telugu with Lakshmi in 2006 and Kannada with Super in 2010. Her portrayal of Goddess Sita in the mythological film Sri Rama Rajyam (2011) earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu and the Nandi Award for Best Actress. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil and Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress for her performances in the romantic comedy Raja Rani (2013), the action comedy Naanum Rowdy Dhaan (2015) and the political drama Aramm (2017), for which she won Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress. She was awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Malayalam for her performance in the crime drama Puthiya Niyamam (2016).
Nayanthara established herself as one of the leading actresses of South Indian cinema, particularly through female-led films such 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). Beyond these roles, she has starred in several commercially and critically successful films, including Chandramukhi (2005), Ghajini (2005), Billa (2007), Yaaradi Nee Mohini (2008), Body Guard (2010), Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum (2012), Thani Oruvan (2015), Kaashmora (2016), Viswasam (2019), Bigil (2019), Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy (2019). She also made her Hindi film debut with Jawan in 2023, which succeeded commercially and became her highest-grossing film .
In addition to acting, Nayanthara is involved in philanthropy and owns the production house called "Rowdy Pictures". She is married to filmmaker Vignesh Shivan, and the couple has two children.