Nayanthara Beyond the Fairy Tale review: “I want people to feel a bit of hope and happiness when they see other people’s happiness,” states Nayanthara as to why she did this documentary that takes us through her life and acting career. After a long delay, Nayanthara - Beyond The Fairytale, finally releases today on November 18 on Netflix India. (Also Read – Rakkaiye teaser: Action star Nayanthara declares war on monster, massacres army of goons alone, fans dub her 'Thalaivi' ) Nayanthara or Nayan, as she is fondly called, worked hard for over 18 years to earn the epithet 'Lady Superstar.
' Actor Radhika Sarathkumar points out in the documentary, “I don’t think her journey has been easy. It’s not everyday that somebody who has a very successful career throws it away for an emotion." From Thiruvalla to stardom Her career is really a fairytale given that she came from a small town called Thiruvalla in Kerala and became one of the biggest stars in south cinema in the span of a decade.
But it wasn’t that Nayanthara’s path to success was smooth. When director AR Murugadoss’s Ghajini came out in 2005, there was a lot of body shaming and criticising that she had to cope with and didn’t know how to handle. While Nayan says that she did exactly what the director wanted, producer Pushpa Kandasamy puts it succinctly when she says, “People look for chances to exploit you.
” However, all these incidents made her stronger. She is a fighter and was destined to achieve stardom, say the celebs who are part of the documentary, including Nagarjuna, Rana Daggubati, Tamannaah Bhatia, Upendra, Radhika Sarathkumar, and Parvathy Thiruvothu. However, Vijay Sethupathi, who was her co-star in director Vignesh Shivan’s Naanum Rowdy Thaan , nails it when he says the actress understands how an actor’s image is created.
Radhika Sarathkumar speaks of how Nayan diligently broke the mould that only men can be superstars. Love and the lows While the Amith Krishnan-directed documentary doesn’t delve deep into her relationships, which made headlines constantly, and what happened in the two-year break (2011-13), post which she came back all guns blazing, it does show how actors are human and their personal lives are just like ours. The Billa actor doesn’t talk about her failed past relationships in specifics, but she shows her vulnerability when she opens up about how she was questioned about the relationships and there were so many stories about her, while the men got away scot-free.
Nayanthara reveals, “More than love, it was about trust. I have never spoken about my past relationships and people assume things. The only thing that broke me was when people started assuming stories about me.
” One also finds the answer as to why she took the sudden decision to leave the film industry in 2011, when she was reportedly in a serious relationship, much to the shock of her fans. The Naanum Rowdy Thaan actor says, “When a situation came where I had to give up my profession..
.. It can’t go lower than that.
I left the industry because the man told me to leave the industry. It was never my choice. It was never an option.
When I think about it, I also feel I was not mature enough to understand what life is.” Halfway through the documentary, we then move on to her relationship with director Vignesh Shivan and how that part of her life started in 2015. We have Vignesh Shivan talking about his background and Vijay Sethupathi, director Atlee, and director Nelson Dilipkumar telling us about Vignesh as a person and his positives.
“It was Dhanush who called me and asked me if I had no shame. I was like, "What are you saying?” smiles Radhika Sarathkumar, who was part of Naanum Rowdy Thaan. She reveals it was Dhanush who told her about the Nayanthara-Vignesh Shivan romance that blossomed on that film set.
The rest of the documentary is about what follows next, culminating into their marriage and their babies, Uyir and Ulag. Nayanthara - Beyond The Fairytale, for most part, is like a ‘they live happily ever after’ story, and shot like a film rather than dig deep into the complexities of Nayanthara’s journey, the controversies, and her relationship with a relatively unknown director in Tamil cinema. Like Vignesh Shivan says to Nayanthara in the documentary, “There’s always a challenge that’s testing us.
” Nayanthara seems ready to take on new challenges but this time around, with her husband Vignesh Shivan, who has stood by her like a rock. The documentary – like Nayanthara’s image – has been carefully crafted to tell us only what the couple want us to know, and that’s a let-down. It barely scratches the surface and there’s an incomplete feeling to it.
Yes, it is a fairytale in that a female actor, who was trolled and written off, achieved superstardom, an actor who found love eventually after numerous failed relationships, and an actor who showed many others how you can forge your own path if you are strong and believe in yourself. Nayanthara - Beyond the Fairy Tale is now streaming on Netflix India..
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Nayanthara Beyond the Fairy Tale review: Carefully crafted happily ever after that traces Nayanthara's inspiring rise
Nayanthara Beyond the Fairy Tale review: The Netflix India documentary barely scratches the surface and there’s an incomplete feeling to it.