When Nayanthara left films for love, relationship pressure, later made strong comeback – Read more

Nayanthara, one of the most popular actresses in South Indian cinema, once took a big break from films because of her personal life. In her documentary, she opened up about how a past relationship affected her deeply and even led her to leave the film industry for some time.

Nayanthara’s emotional past

Before becoming one of the biggest stars in South Indian cinema, Nayanthara went through a difficult phase in her personal life that almost made her leave the industry. In her Netflix documentary ‘Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale’, she shared how a past relationship influenced her career decisions. She said, “I quit films because the man asked me to. I trusted easily.”

She didn’t reveal who the person was but admitted that she left films because her partner told her to. "It was the man who told me to quit cinema. It wasn't like I had an option. I was told to leave the cinema, and I agreed" she added.

Nayanthara’s past relationships

Earlier in her career, Nayanthara was in a relationship with actor Silambarasan TR, whom she met during the shoot of ‘Vallavan’ in 2006. Their relationship ended on a bitter note after a private photo of them got leaked without her permission. Actor Nagarjuna recalled in the documentary how that period was emotionally tough for her and how it affected her mood on sets.

Later, Nayanthara focused on work and acted in several Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam films. In 2008, she started a relationship with actor and choreographer Prabhu Deva while working on ‘Villu’. Their bond became public, and there were even rumours of marriage in 2009. However, things became complicated due to Prabhu Deva’s existing marriage, which his wife Latha strongly opposed.

In 2011, after playing the role of ‘Sita in Sri Rama Rajyam’, rumours spread that Nayanthara had once again quit acting. Some viewers criticised her for playing a mythological role because of her personal life, but she won an award for the performance.

Happily married to filmmaker

When her relationship with Prabhu Deva failed, Nayanthara returned to cinema with even more strength. Today, she is happily married to filmmaker Vignesh Shivan and is a proud mother of two.