Nayanthara – Beyond the Fairytale Documentary Review: Moments of vulnerability shine the brightest in this quest for true love

The documentary, directed by Amith Krishnan, begins connected a alternatively shaky enactment because, they follow a cinematic style. We person radical ‘acting’ a script. It feels excessively staged erstwhile they sermon the last-minute wedding preparations. Of course, the obstacles were true, but watching it feels similar seeing a rehearsed signifier amusement enactment connected by teachers for a school’s yearly day. It instantly leads to a consciousness of dissonance, and we are lone brought backmost into the documentary erstwhile the absorption is connected Nayanthara’s travel from Manasinnakare to Jawan. 

Her reasoning to movie this documentary, which she says is to marque everyone privation a spot of anticipation and spot different people’s happiness is flimsy, but it is excessively aboriginal to judge. First up, we spot however Diana Kurien from Thiruvalla got into films. It is similar the worldly of dreams. She is featured successful a celebrated magazine, and Sathyan Anthikkad, 1 of the champion Indian directors needed a newcomer successful a movie that marked the comeback of histrion Sheela, 1 of the biggest icons of Malayalam cinema. In her archetypal six films, she is paired other Jayaram, Sarath Kumar, Mohanlal, Mammootty, and Rajinikanth. It was an unprecedented rise, and thing could person pulled her down from that ascension. 

“Ghajni was my lowest point,” says Nayanthara successful the documentary. After the 2005 film, she was criticised for her sartorial choices, her carnal appearance, and was the taxable of aggravated trolling. It was besides the archetypal clip the assemblage were seeing her successful thing but a accepted saree oregon a salwar. “I was trolled, and shamed. No 1 came and told maine that it was okay. I was a newcomer. I conscionable did what the manager told me. I conscionable wore what the manager asked maine to. I had nary choice,” points retired Nayanthara, who reveals that she was battling interior demons due to the fact that her begetter had fallen sick, and her parent was taking attraction of him. Producer Pushpa Kandasamy, who launched Nayanthara successful Tamil with Ayya, says, “It is precise pugnacious successful cinema for idiosyncratic who is each alone. People look for chances to exploit you.”

The documentary wonderfully traces her archetypal cinematic travel by bringing successful the close radical to speech astir Nayanthara. We person manager Vishnuvardhan, who reinvented the marque Nayanthara done Ajith Kumar’s Billa. “Yes, the bikini was an issue. But I had to beryllium a point,” says Nayanthara. But the documentary isn’t conscionable focussed connected projecting her arsenic this powerfulness fig adjacent if many, including actors Nagarjuna, Rana Daggubati, and Upendra, accidental that she is simply a combatant oregon a thug oregon a warrior oregon royalty. It is the vulnerability of Nayanthara that genuinely holds the documentary together. 

When Anu Varadhan says Nayanthara doesn’t cognize however to unbend oregon chill, it gives america perspective. When Tamannaah says Nayanthara changed the strategy adjacent erstwhile being portion of the pattern, we recognize definite movie choices of hers. When Vijay Sethupathi says Nayanthara understands however actors are projected, we realise wherefore her representation is cautiously constructed. And erstwhile Parvathy Thiruvothu points retired that she was a ‘girl boss’ earlier the connection was cool, we realise the repercussions of definite things Nayanthara did station 2012. It is succinctly enactment unneurotic by Radikaa Sarathkumar, who says, “It was destiny that everyplace we went it was the antheral stars who got the recognition. Nayanthara changed it.” 

While the documentary does a bully occupation of pointing retired the obstacles successful her way, it doesn’t dwell excessively overmuch connected the failed relationships of hers that made primetime quality each azygous time. It is wide that Nayanthara didn’t privation this to beryllium a tell-all interrogation astir others. She simply says, “Because I didn’t code the breakups, they started assuming, and it was ever the worst of me. No 1 asked the boys successful the relationship. It wasn’t fair.”

Even here, they bash interaction upon her relationships, and however she was acceptable to propulsion distant her cinema vocation to beryllium with the antheral she loved. Nayanthara revealed that the prime was not hers to make, and she was told to discontinue cinema. “I was not mature enough, yes. But I took the call. I was astatine my lowest erstwhile I knew it was my past time of acting.” When the narration broke off, Nayanthara took a two-year interruption from everything. The documentary doesn’t spell into the acheronian of it all, and alternatively focusses connected the comeback.

Again, the makers are firmly fixed connected focussing connected the fairytale aspects of Nayanthara’s life, adjacent if it promises to archer a communicative beyond it. The documentary isn’t going to instrumentality sides due to the fact that it is astir Nayanthara, by Nayanthara, and for Nayanthara. This is each portion of that cautiously constructed image, and it is conscionable a model into however things pieced itself unneurotic successful her beingness aft that crushing downfall. It is structured truthful good that Vignesh Shivan is brought into the documentary astatine conscionable the close time. He is brought backmost lone aft Nagarjuna and Atlee speech astir calling up Nayanthara to marque a comeback with their films. He is brought backmost lone aft Nelson talks astir Kolamaavu Kokila, and however she changed the concern of women-fronted films successful Tamil cinema. From the instrumentality of Vignesh Shivan into the documentary, we spot little of Nayanthara the actor, and much of her arsenic a partner, friend, and a girlfriend. 

From here, the documentary is simply a hit-and-a-miss due to the fact that they don’t truly delve into the aspects of a superstar histrion forming a narration with a one-film-old director. This isn’t caller if the genders were reversed, but this was novel, and could person fixed much than conscionable a glimpse into however the equation would person evolved. Here, we are near with a perfunctory monologue oregon 2 astir the trepidation and the trials. What could person been a alternatively absorbing exploration of the dynamics turns retired to beryllium a elemental ‘he said-she said’ benignant of a communicative that doesn’t archer thing new. As Vetri Maaran erstwhile said, real-life doesn’t request logic, but cinema does.

In much ways than one, Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale is much cinema than a documentary. Everything is staged to perfection. Not a azygous happening is retired of place, and it is each excessively prim and due to springiness america a feeling of watching thing real. Again, it doesn’t mean the emotions are fake, it is conscionable that it comes crossed arsenic little existent due to the fact that determination is nary infinitesimal wherever we spot oregon perceive thing that Nayanthara oregon Vignesh Shivan don’t privation america to spot oregon hear.

Probably why, the uncommon moments of vulnerability truly radiance through. It stings erstwhile Nayanthara says, “I consciousness blameworthy due to the fact that if not for me, helium mightiness person been happier. Life would person been easier for him.” Of course, Vignesh denies it, but this uncommon infinitesimal of pulling down the veil was important. Just that, the documentary needed much of specified moments. 

Everything culminates into the marriage, the preparations for it, the impermanent list, the tension, the tears, and the occurrence of it all. In between, determination are bully moments of ingenuity erstwhile Vignesh Shivan calls the wedding formal arsenic “costumes person come” oregon Nayanthara revealing wherefore she didn’t privation to deterioration a Kanjeevaram saree for her large day. It is these moments that marque the documentary much real. And erstwhile she wears her wedding ‘costume’ for the archetypal clip and walks down the aisle, oregon Vignesh candidly saying helium didn’t adjacent ideate he’d beryllium invited to specified a expansive wedding, oregon the biggest names of Indian cinema similar Rajinikanth, Shah Rukh Khan, AR Rahman, Suriya, Jyotika, Karthi, and Anirudh Ravichander smiling and blessing the couple, it is pugnacious not to consciousness affectional astir however things each fell into place. 

ALSO READ: Nayanthara recalls erstwhile she fell successful emotion with Vignesh Shivan: ‘I looked astatine him differently, thought helium is simply a cute guy’ Watch

Did Diana Kurian, who was penning her CA assignments the time earlier she got the momentous telephone from Sathyan Anthikkad cognize that 20 years later, she’d person this benignant of a wedding? Did Vignesh Shivan, whose beingness was turned upside down erstwhile helium was 18, realise that his mother’s perseverance would instrumentality him truthful acold successful his life? Probably wherefore this documentary is called a ‘fairytale’… Sometimes, conscionable sometimes, we determination past our inherent cynicism, and so make a consciousness of anticipation successful our hearts, and consciousness blessed astir this lad and miss who fell successful love, and decided to cautiously curate their ain happily ever after. 

Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale Documentary Director: Amith Krishnan

Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale Documentary Cast: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan

Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale Documentary Rating: 3 / 5