Nov 21, 2024 21:06 IST
First published on: Nov 21, 2024 at 19:58 IST
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When the teaser of the much-awaited Netflix documentary Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairy Tale released earlier this month, it featured a clip of producer-actor Rana Daggubati describing actor Nayanthara as “a warrior” and saying, “She walked in as a thug and stayed a thug”. In thus describing his Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum (2012) co-actor, Daggubati is lauding her staying power as well as her ability to navigate the ups and downs of a career in cinema. That her tenacity and refusal to accept setbacks would soon be revealed to the larger world was hardly expected.
On November 16, Nayanthara posted a three-page “open letter” on her Instagram account, addressed to her colleague Dhanush K Raja. The letter called out the actor-producer for “festering vengeance” against the documentary, her partner (Vignesh Shivan) and her. Nayanthara was reacting to a legal notice from Dhanush demanding Rs 10 crore for the use of a three-second behind the scenes (BTS) clip from the sets of Naanum Rowdy Dhaan (2015) in the Netflix documentary. Dhanush had produced the film, which was directed by Shivan. In the letter, Nayanthara wrote that after “battling it out” with Dhanush for an NOC (No Objection Certificate) and for his permission to use Naanum Rowdy Dhaan’s “songs or visual cuts, even the photographs” for the documentary, they finally re-edited and settled for the current version.
Such a public confrontation with one of the most powerful film personalities of India is rare if not unprecedented. Nayanthara, whose 20-year-long career spans Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films, may be called “Lady Superstar” and “Thalaivi” (Tamil for woman leader), but Indian film industries have remained stubbornly male-dominated. By pushing back, Nayanthara proves that when director Vishnuvardhan says in the documentary, “Nayan is still Nayan because there is nothing that can intimidate her. Whoever it is,” it is not mere hyperbole. As if to underline her refusal to back down in her defiance, on November 20, Nayanthara posted a list of producers, including Shah Rukh Khan, A R Murugadoss, Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan Teja, expressing her “gratitude” for granting her NOCs.
The documentary, which promises to “explore a never-before-seen side” of an actor who is known for keeping her life private, started streaming on November 18 midnight to mark her 40th birthday. Hours later, came the teaser of Rakkayie, an upcoming Tamil-language period drama, that shows a lone Nayanthara, armed with sickles and chilli powder, taking on a group of baddies.
The first half of Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairy Tale establishes Nayanthara’s star power and recounts her tumultuous journey as an actor. Born Diana Mariam Kurian, the actor was spotted by director Sathyan Anthikkad in a jewellery advertisement published in a magazine. He cast her in the Malayalam-language Manassinakkare (2003). Barely 18, she was pursuing a degree in English literature in a Thiruvalla college then. Following this, she shared screen space with Mohanlal in Natturajavu (2004) and Vismayathumbathu (2004). She branched out to Tamil and Telugu films soon after, grabbing attention with Chandramukhi (2005) and A R Murugadoss’ Ghajini (2005).
Nayanthara’s ascent as a superstar started with her success in Tamil cinema, especially boosted by the Vishnuvardhan-directed gangster film Billa (2007). After being fat-shamed for her appearance in an “item” song in Ghajini, she took viewers by surprise with her glamorous turn in Billa, where she plays a character with grey shades and appears in a bikini. With her compelling portrayal of Sita in Sri Rama Rajyam (2011), amid criticism and doubt expressed over her casting, she went on to expand her fanbase. She played the protagonist in Nelson Dilipkumar-directed Kolamaavu Kokila (2018) and the lead in thriller Imaikkaa Nodigal. Both were big hits and registered impressive opening figures cementing her superstardom. In 2023, with Shah Rukh Khan-starer Jawan (2023), Nayanthara gained pan-Indian appreciation as NSG officer Narmada Rai whose slo-mo entry scenes underlined her star power.
In Beyond the Fairytale, various colleagues chime in on how Nayanthara came to hold the position she does. Actor Radhika Sarathkumar describes with awe, her ability to command the attention of viewers, while Parvathy, speaking of her stardom, says, “She (Nayanthara) did all that at a time when it was akin to witchcraft”. Director Nelson believes that “women-centric films should also have commercial value too”, something that Nayanthara was able to do. She managed to command attention even when sharing screen space with major male stars like Rajinikanth and Nagarjuna Akkineni. But then, as Tamannaah Bhatia sums up: “To break the pattern, you have to be part of the pattern.”
All this talk of her star power would come across as mere vox pop in service of her home production, had it not been for Nayanthara’s social media showdown with Dhanush. The focus of viewers might well have been on the story of her finding love with a fellow foodie and their dreamy wedding, as depicted in the documentary. What her public clapback, however, makes clear is the darker side in every fairy tale, of struggling to find and hold one’s space in a male-dominated industry, and that the “Lady Superstar” remains more than capable of dealing with it.
