Nayanthara celebrates birthday: 8 things to know about the South Indian actress

1. Malayalam superstar Mammootty was one of the first ones to wish his colleague Nayanthara on her 36th birthday on November 18 as he unveiled the poster of her upcoming Malayalam-language film ‘Nizhal’ on his official Facebook page. ‘Nizhal’, directed by Appu N Bhattahiri, also stars actor Kunjacko Boban in a crucial role. (Mammootty and Nayanthara in Malayalam director Siddique's ‘Bhaskar The Rascal’.)

2. Nayanthara also unveiled the teaser of her new Tamil thriller ‘Netrikann’ (The Third Eye) in which she plays a blind woman who lays a trap for a sexual predator. The film is directed by Milind Rau and is the re-make of the Korean movie ‘Blind’. The teaser, which was well-received, has been compared to films such as Ayushmann Khurrana’s ‘Andhadhun’ and Mohanlal’s ‘Oppam’.

3. Nayanthara is one of the most bankable stars in South India. She famously turned down an offer to dance with Shah Rukh Khan in ‘Chennai Express’ as she wasn’t keen to do song cameos that were racy.

4. According to reports, Nayanthara is one of the highest paid South Indian actresses and commands a neat Rs100 million for a film project.

5. Nayanthara is currently dating director Vignesh Shivan and the two regularly post pictures of each other on social media. Both met on the sets of their Tamil film ‘Naanum Rowdy Dhaan’ and seem to be going strong. Earlier, they were together in Goa to celebrate Shivan’s birthday with family. “Happy birthday Thangamey. Be the same inspiring, dedicated, sincere, honest person that you are and keep flying! May God bless you with only happiness and consistent success! For another year filled with a lot of positivity and amazing moments,” wrote Shivan on his social media page.

6. Nayanthara was last seen in the Tamil fantasy spectacle ‘Mookuthi Amman’, directed by R Balaji, this Diwali.

7. The actress prefers to keep a low profile and is not on any social media platform. She’s also averse to giving many interviews and is rarely seen courting the press. (Nivin Pauly and Nayanthara in 'Love Action Drama'.)

8. Nayanthara has acted in Tamil and Malayalam films. She made her debut in Malayalam filmmaker Sathyan Anthikad’s ‘Manassinakkare' in 2003. She is one of the few actresses who can do versatile roles. From laying a gun-wielding gangster in Billa to a helpless housewife in rape revenge sage ‘Puthiya Niyamam’ (pictured), Nayanthara has excelled.