Nayanthara turns 36: From Manassinakkare to Mookuthi Amman, journey of the ultimate superstar

Nayanthara, the indisputable superstar of the South Indian film industry is celebrating her 36th birthday today. Fans of the actress are now busy celebrating this auspicious occasion by sharing tweets and posts on social media platforms, while celebrities and fellow workers are wishing the actress for more glorious years ahead. Nayanthara's journey to superstardom was not a cakewalk.

The actress had a fair share of ups and downs in her career, and we take you through the journey of Nayanthara, from an ordinary Kerala girl to the most valuable star in the South Indian entertainment industry.

A dream debut, followed by falls

Nayanthara made her debut in 2003 with the movie Manassinakkare. The film directed by Sathyan Anthikkadu had Jayaram in the lead role. Manassinakkare emerged as a huge hit at the box-office, and it made Nayan one of the most aspiring young talents in Mollywood.

However, her next two movies Vismayathumbathu and Naatturajavu failed to make an impact at the box-office. In 2005, Nayanthara made her Tamil debut with the movie Ayya. The film portrayed Nayanthara as a village girl, and the movie had a handful of masala songs, that literally shocked the fans of the actress.

Most of the movies made during this time period that include Vallavan, Dubai Seenu, Yogi, Tulasi, and Billa portrayed Nayanthara in the role of a glam doll, and no filmmakers tried to exploit the actress in her.

Bodyguard: A turning point in Nayanthara's career

2010 was a remarkable year in the career of Nayanthara. It was in this year that Nayanthara's Bodyguard, directed by Siddique hit the screens. The film emerged as a huge blockbuster, and her chemistry with Dileep received positive responses from all corners. Boss Engira Bhaskaran which featured Nayanthara and Arya was also a hit, and both these films showed how beautifully the actress can perform on screen.

In 2013, Nayanthara captured everyone's heart by portraying a beautiful role in the movie Raja Rani. Thani Oruvan, released in 2015 was another blockbuster in the career of Nayanthara.

Rise to superstardom as a solo lead

In 2015, Nayanthara's Maya was released, and it became a huge hit at the box-office. The success of Maya made several filmmakers realize that Nayanthara has the capability to shoulder a movie alone, and it helped her to rack up more offers as a solo lead.

Nayanthara rose to superstardom with her movies Dora, Aramm, Kolamavu Kokila, Imaikka Nodigal, and the recently released Mookkuthi Amman.

The actress is now busy with the filming of Nizhal, that feature Kunchakko Boban in the lead role. The film is expected to be a high voltage thriller, and Nayanthara will be seen portraying a challenging character in this movie.