Nayanthara debuted in 2003 through the Malayalam movie Manasinakkare. She made her debut in Tamil in 2005 and Telugu in 2006. She is also known as the lady superstar of South India. Over the years she has acted in more than 75 films.
Her father was an Airforce official, so she studied in several parts of India including Jamnagar, Gujarat and Delhi during her primary education. She then studied at Balikamadom Girls Higher Secondary School, Thiruvalla and did Bachelor's degree in English Literature from Marthoma College, Thiruvalla.
She won many awards including Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress in 2013 for the movie ‘Raja Rani’, International Indian Film Academy Awards for Best Actress in 2015 for the movie ‘Maya’, Filmfare Awards South for Best Actress many times.
She was born to Kurian Kodiyattu and Omana Kurian from Pathanamthitta, Kerala. She has an elder brother Leno. She is currently in a relationship with filmmaker Vignesh Shivan since 2015.
She was in a relationship with actor and dancer Prabhu Deva. But in 2010, Prabhu Deva’s wife Latha filed a petition against him, when Nayanthara and Prabhu Deva decided to get married. This led to a controversy and in 2012, Nayanthara confirmed that their relationship has come to an end.
