Diana Mariam Kurian (born 18 November 1984), best known by her stage name Nayantara, is an Indian film actress. She made her acting debut in 2003 in the Malayalam film Manassinakkare.
She debuted in Tamil cinema with Ayya (2004) and in Telugu cinema with Lakshmi (2005), following which she starred alongside popular lead actors. Following several commercial successes such as Chandramukhi (2005), Ghajini (2005) and Billa (2007), she had established herself as one of the leading actresses in Tamil cinema.
Nayantara was born in Bangalore, Karnataka as the youngest daughter to Malayali parents, Kurian Kodiyattu and Omana Kurian. Her brother, Lenu, who is nine years elder to her, lives in Dubai. As her father was an Indian Air Force official, she studied in various parts of India, mainly in North India.
A Knanaya Catholic by birth, she did her schooling in Jamnagar, Gujarat and Delhi. Following his retirement, they settled in Kerala, where she continued her college studies, at the Kendriya Vidyalaya schools in Kerala. In Tiruvalla, she studied at Balikamadom Girls Higher Secondary School and then attended Marthoma College for her bachelor's degree in English Literature.
Nayantara was spotted, while she was still in college, by director Sathyan Anthikkad, who cast her opposite Jayaram in the 2003 Malayalam film Manassinakkare. Later, she co-starred alongside Mohanlal in Natturajavu and in Fazil's Vismayathumbathu. She was also cast with Mammootty in Thaskaraveeran and Raapakal.
She subsequently started appearing in Tamil and Telugu films. In 2005, she was cast opposite Sarath Kumar in Hari's Ayya, debuting in the Tamil film industry, and followed it up with Chandramukhi. The comedy horror film, in which she starred alongside Rajinikanth, became one of the most successful Tamil films in history, running for over 800 days in theatres, eventually turning Nayantara into one of the most-sought after actresses in Tamil.