Nayanthara has progressed from her origins as a country girl in a Sathyan Anthikad film to become a powerful force in the South Indian cinema industry. She has accomplished the uncommon achievement of breaking through to the superstar level in an otherwise male-dominated field – all while effortlessly balancing performance-oriented flicks with masala movie performances.
It’s a pivotal moment in Bigil, a film starring Vijay in dual roles. The scenario is set for Michael Rayappan to deliver a self-righteous lecture to a guy who refuses to let his wife follow her goal of becoming a football player. Angel, his lady love, slips her hands over his and quietly grabs the mike as he wriggles his hands, ready to burst.
Having considered how little screen time a female gets in a Vijay film, Nayanthara did lift the bar just a few levels with this moment. That is by no means a minor accomplishment. In some ways, it exemplifies Nayanthara’s rise to stardom in Tamil cinema. And here’s an endeavour to trace Nayanthara’s impressive career in film, from being a classic gilded business heroine to a celebrity who can shoulder films single-handedly to gaining significant screen real estate in celebrity films.
based on the Malayalam film Manichithrathazhu in which she played Rajinikanth’s love interest. She soon appeared in films starring most South Indian celebrities (Vijay, Ajith, Suriya, Mammootty, Venkatesh, Nagarjuna, and Prabhas), albeit she was mostly relegated to the role of the hero’s love interest, with the occasional song-and-dance number. “In the film, if you are partnered against unknown performers early in your career, your financial viability suffers.” In Sivakasi, she sang a song with Vijay, and suddenly the doors opened for her. Rajinikanth used to believe she was fortunate for him (she made special appearances in Sivaji and Kuselan). Whenever she collaborated with a greater celebrity, the picture was a success, which boosted her status.
Nayanthara’s professional ambitions had to be reworked after a painful split. “Normally, a heroine will only go for one round.” “However, Nayanthara had made it to the second round and is now in the third,” explains Pillai. The actress was determined to shed all traces of her prior glam-doll persona in her second appearance. One of the first things she did was a sign on for smaller projects. This time, though, she was dead set on becoming a star, a film presence.
“The success of her smaller-budget films won her the title of superstar.” On television, she has continuously changed herself. And she rose to the status of an approachable style diva. Her checkered Chettinadu saris in Viswasam or linen saris in Aramm became popular.