Nayanthara is known as the ‘Lady Superstar’ by her fans down South for portraying powerful roles. The actress gained the title after her powerful comeback two years after she decided to quit films altogether in 2011 for love. Now, happily married to filmmaker Vignesh Shivan, who “redefined the idea of love” for the actress, Nayanthara shared what prompted her to agree to quitting films back then on the advise of her then partner, Prabhudeva.
In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Nayanthara spoke in detail about her decision to quit films in 2011. She said, “I was in a phase where I believed that I have to compromise if I want love in my life. I was too vulnerable and young.”
She further explained, “It also contributes to the fact that we have seen so many different relationships in our industry. I am not calling it bad or anything, but it is the way we have seen the industry functioning for a very long time, like second marriages. So at that time, I thought it was okay. The girl in me genuinely thought that if you need love in your life, you need to compromise somewhere. You need to give it your all. If your partner doesn’t like you doing something, you should just sacrifice. This was my understanding of love at that point in time.”
Nayanthara credited that particular relationship for bringing the best in her by putting her through the worst phase. She said, “That relationship made me what I am today. If not for that particular relationship, I don’t think I would have found the strength to be what I am today. I wouldn’t be able to understand what I am capable of. After that, I was a whole different person altogether.”
Nayanthara said although she had agreed to quit films forever, giving the last shot for her supposedly last film Sri Rama Rajyam hit her hard.
“I understood this is not just a profession, it is not anymore about the money or fame, but it is something that has become a part of me and I am born to do this. It was at this moment that I figured that I can’t stay away from films.”
However, she had made a promise, and she couldn’t do much about it. The actress quit films in 2011. Later, when her relationship didn’t workout the way it should have, the actress made a comeback in 2013 with Nagarjuna’s film Greeku Veerudhu and from there, there was no looking back for the actress.
In the same interview, Nayanthara also shared how after meeting her husband Vignesh Shivan, her idea of love completely changed.
She said, “The whole concept of love has changed for me after meeting my husband. I used to be the girl who used to think, ‘You have to sacrifice and compromise to make your relationship work, and believed there is no unconditional love’, but it is only now that I understand that unconditional love exists. You just have to find the right person.”
Nayanthara shared after the release of her Netflix documentary, she has received several messages from women, who had a similar question: “Where did you find this guy? I always be like, ‘Don’t put nazar.”
Nayanthara met Vignesh Shivan on the sets of Naanum Rowdy Dhaan, a film written and directed by the latter and produced by Dhanush. Love blossomed for the couple while shooting for the film. After dating for over eight years. The couple tied the knot in June 2022. The couple recently released a documentary, which explored their love life, Nayanthara’s career, and her past relationships.
