Diana Mariam Kurian (born 18 November 1984),[2] best known by her stage name Nayantara (Malayalam: നയന് താര), is an Indian film actress who has appeared in Malayalam, Telugu Tamil, and Kannada films. She debuted in the 2003 Malayalam film Manassinakkare, before starring in Tamil and Telugu-language films, 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.