Nayanthara is a name to reckon with in Kollywood. As the actor celebrates her birthday today, here are films that marked the remarkable transformation of the Lady Superstar on screen.

It isn’t every day that an actress gets the tag Superstar. Remember that we are talking about an era where good roles for women are hard to come by. But one woman has managed to rise above it all and that is Nayanthara. The career track of Nayanthara is amazing if you look at it. No one would have imagined her to be the glam queen she is now when she made her Tamil debut as a bubbly, home-next door girl in Sarathkumar’s Ayya. However, she managed to bag two big projects right after Ayya: Superstar Rajinikanth-Vasu’s Chandramukhi and Suriya-AR Murugadoss’ Ghajini. Never the one to shy from bold roles, the beautiful lady’s second stint saw her slowly build a regime around her versatility. As Nayan celebrates her birthday today, here is a look at films that marked her transformation on screen from Nayanthara to Lady Superstar.

Chandramukhi:

2005 was an important year for Nayanthara as two big projects showcasing her in completely different roles released. One was Chandramukhi where she shared screen space with Rajinikanth while the other was Ghajini, where Nayan played the second heroine. While Chandramukhi saw her in a girl-next-door avatar, Ghajini had Nayanthara in a more glamourous avatar. Both films were massive hits, giving a massive push to her career. Infact, when Chandramukhi released a line of sarees based on Nayanthara’s look in the film were unveiled and were quite the rage among women in Tamil Nadu.

Vallavan:

Slowly shedding her girl-next-door avatar, Nayanthara’s bold break happened with Simbu’s Vallavan. The actress set the screen on fire and also did not shy away from intimate scenes with Simbu who was rumoured to be her boyfriend then. While the movie wasn’t a blockbuster, it certainly added a strong shade to Nayanthara’s versatility and about the looks she can pull.

Billa:

An established name in the industry by now, Billa marked the complete transformation of the pretty lady into a sultry queen on screen. She knocked off quite a few kilos to rock a bikini on screen, something that actresses still don’t easily agree to in Kollywood. As the sexy and chic assassin, Nayanthara was completely unrecognisable in her sultry avatar look.

Sri Rama Rajyam:

Nayanthara has always been brilliant in balancing the genre of films she chooses to be part of. While the actor continued to be the glam doll on screen, she smartly juggled roles that had her in more traditional avatars as well. But the icing on the cake was when she bagged the role of Sita in Sri Rama Rajyam. Her first mythological role, the choice was heavily questioned. But Nayanthara silenced everyone with a beautifully understated performance that wowed critics and audience as well. Sri Rama Rajyam is a testament to how versatile Nayanthara is.

Maya:

While Nayanthara continued to be part of blockbusters such as Boss Engira Baskaran, Arrambam etc, the Tamil remake of Kahaani, Nee Enge En Anbe marked the beginning of Nayanthara becoming the headliner of her movies. While the movie wasn’t as successful as its Hindi version, Nayanthara’s next Maya did wonders for her career. What Maya did was establish the beauty as a bankable star at the box office, who didn’t need a hero to shoulder her movies. She followed it up with Dora that despite not being a huge hit cemented her status as the Lady Superstar.

Aramm:

Probably the most important film in her career, Aramm once again re-established that Nayanthara was more than her to-die-for beauty. Shouldering the movie on her slender shoulders, Nayanthara was the hero in all practical meaning of the word. The usually reticent star promoted the movie, breaking her own rule. There were banners and cut-outs in theaters for her and most of all, she was Lady Superstar. In a male-dominated industry, the spectacle that Nayanthara has created is a rare phenomenon making her a celebrity whose career is a delight to track. Look out people, she means business and she is here to change things.

Source : indianexpress.com