Happy birthday Nayanthara: From refusing dance number in Chennai Express to changing her name, 5 facts about the ‘lady superstar’

Most of us know Nayanthara as the quintessential mainstream heroine who reinvented herself with author-backed roles in the last few years. Today, she’s referred to as lady superstar by her fans and audiences alike. On the occasion of her 36th birthday, here are five lesser known facts about her.

Born as Diana Mariam Kurian

Nayanthara was born into a Christian family and her real name was Diana Mariam Kurian. She chose Nayanthara as her screen name before making her acting debut with Sathyan Anthikad’s Malayalam film, Manassinakkare. In 2011, as per reports, she converted to Hinduism at the Aarya Samaj temple in Chennai.

She wanted to pursue Chartered Accountancy

After graduating in English literature from Marthoma College, Nayanthara had set her eyes on becoming a chartered accountant. However, life had other plans for her when she took up part-time modelling and eventually ended up being bitten by the cinema bug.

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Turned down an offer opposite Shah Rukh Khan

Nayanthara was reportedly offered a dance number in Rohit Shetty’s Chennai Express which she eventually turned down. Even in her films, Nayanthara is very particular about not doing any raunchy dance numbers.

She’s not present on any social media platforms

Unlike most of her contemporaries, Nayanthara is not a fan of the social media and she’s not present on any of the popular platforms. In one of her earlier interviews, Nayanthara had said she likes her personal space and would not like to expose it to the outside world.

Highest paid south Indian actress

As per the industry insiders, Nayanthara is currently drawing a whopping Rs 10 crore per project, making her the highest paid south Indian actress ever. She’s said to charge even more if it’s a project starring a really big star.

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