Nayanthara was born as Diana Mariam Kurian to Orthodox Malayali Syrian Christian parents in Bengaluru on November 18
8 Lesser Known Facts about South Indian Actress Nayanthara
In 2011, Nayanthara converted to Hinduism at the Arya Samaj Temple in Chennai. It was after this ceremony that her stage name became her official name.
She holds a degree in English Literature from Marthoma College, Kerala.
Nayantara was a part-time model before becoming a professional actress. She was spotted by filmmaker Sathyan Anthikad who approached her for ‘Manassinakkare’ after seeing her modelling assignments.
With a career spanning over two decades, Nayanthara has starred in more than 75 films.
After converting to Hinduism, Nayan regularly visited a number of Hindu holy places such as Tirupati, Rishikesh, Haridwar etc.
Nayanthara wanted to be a CA but had to drop the plan due to her commitment to movies.
According to industry insiders, Nayantara is the highest-paid female actor in Tamil cinema. She reportedly charges 12-15 crore per film. Reports suggest Nayanthara has been paid a whopping 35 crore for her Bollywood debut 'Jawan'.