Nayanthara (born Diana Mariam Kurian; 18 November 1984), is an Indian actress and film producer who works primarily in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam cinema. She began her acting career with Sathyan Anthikad's Malayalam family drama Manassinakkare (2003), followed by her Tamil debut in Ayya (2005) and her Telugu debut in Lakshmi (2006).
Nayanthara has appeared in more than 80 feature films across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Hindi cinema. Her filmography includes Ghajini (2005), Billa (2007), Yaaradi Nee Mohini (2008), Bodyguard (2010), Simha (2010), Sri Rama Rajyam (2011), Raja Rani (2013), Arrambam (2013), Thani Oruvan (2015), Naanum Rowdy Dhaan (2015), Puthiya Niyamam (2016), Velaikkaran (2017), Viswasam (2019), Bigil (2019), Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy (2019), and God Father (2022). She has also played leading roles in the neo-noir horror film Maya (2015), the social drama Aramm (2017), the dark comedy Kolamaavu Kokila (2018), the crime thriller Imaikkaa Nodigal (2018), the fantasy comedy Mookuthi Amman (2020), Netrikann (2021), and Connect (2022).
In 2023, she made her Hindi cinema debut in Atlee's action thriller Jawan, opposite Shah Rukh Khan. She subsequently appeared in Annapoorani (2023) and the sports drama Test (2025). Her announced and reported projects include Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu (2026), the Malayalam spy thriller Patriot (2026), the period action film Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups (2026), Mookuthi Amman 2 (2026), and Thani Oruvan 2 (2026). She has received five Filmfare Awards South, the Nandi Award for Best Actress for Sri Rama Rajyam, the Tamil Nadu State Film Award, and multiple SIIMA Awards. She also co-founded the production company Rowdy Pictures, which produced films including Koozhangal (Pebbles).
