Nayan Turns 36, Still Stealing Hearts!

Nayanthara turned 36 today. The talented diva has swooned the South audience over the last 17 years.

Take a look at Nayan’s long and inspiring career. 

Born Diana Mariam Kurian in Bangalore, Nayan has Malayalam origin. She was born to Malayali Christian parents. Though she was born as a Syrian Christian, not many are aware that Nayanthara embraced Hinduism. She turned Hindu at Arya Samaj Temple, Chennai in 2011. She underwent Shuddhi Karma and chanted hymns of Veda and Gayatri Mantra where her screen name Nayanthara became her official name.

Nayan started her career as a model. She was spotted by a filmmaker Sathyan Anthikkad and offered a role in his film Manassinakkare. She had initially turned down the offer as she was not interested in films. However, she had agreed to do “just that one film”. The 2003 film turned out to be a Box Office success. And offers poured in for Nayan. She also acted in Natturajavu where she played the role of the adopted sister of the protagonist in the film. 

However, Nayan’s major breakthrough was in 2004 with Fazil’s psychological thriller Vismayathumbathu in which she acted alongside Mohanlal. Nayan pulled off the role of a ghost with ease and she bagged critical acclaim for her performance. Nayan subsequently bagged film offers in Tamil and Telugu. Nayan’s Tamil debut was in 2005 with director Hari’s Ayya. It was termed as a sensational debut. There was no looking back for Nayan. Even before Ayya’s release, Nayan has been cast in Rajinikanth and P Vasu’s horror comedy Chandramukhi. The film made Nayan into a huge star. Later, AR Murugadoss’ Ghajini has Nayan as the second female. Yet Nayan made her present felt. Her dance performance in the film  won her new fans. The dubbed version in Telugu was also a blockbuster making her way into Tollywood. Nayan’s stint in gangster film Billa (Tamil) catapulted her stardom. The same role was done by Anushka Shetty in the Telugu remake. 

Soon, Nayanthara became a household name in Telugu and Tamil industries. She acted alongside almost all the superstars of the industries. She acted opposite Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna, Balakrishna, Venkatesh, Prabhas, Jr NTR and others. In 2011, Nayanthara played the role of Sita in Sri Rama Rajyam. At one point, Nayan had announced that Sri Rama Rajyam would be her last film as an actor. However, after a year gap, she made a comeback with Rana’s Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum. And there is no looking back for her in Telugu and Tamil.

Nayanthara went on to be the highest paid actress in South cinema. She was also featured in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list in 2018 where she was the only South Indian female actor to achieve the feat. Nayan always stayed in the news for her relationships. From Simbhu to Prabhudeva to Vignesh Shivan, Nayan’s personal life has been public. Let’s wish Nayan a happy birthday on her 36. She has never caught up with the age and still looks drop dead gorgeous. She continues to steal the hearts at 36! Birthday wishes poured in for Nayan from industry folks and fans.