Beyond fairy tale, a masala film

“I have never spoken about my past relationships. People assume a lot of things and they go ahead with the stories they want to believe in,” says Nayanthara in one of the scenes from ‘Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairy Tale’.

She has not spoken even now. Not even for the documentary which Netflix claims to be an “access into their homes and lives for the first time”. So, after watching her for 1 hour, 22 minutes, I am still not wiser about her relationships, except that a certain ‘man’ made her give up her career in 2011 for two years. She says, “It was never my choice. It was never an option.” She leaves me with Google to fill in the gaps.

The film starts on a suspenseful note. Dateline: May 30, 2022, 8.40 pm. Her wedding planners are in deep thought as Tirupati is not available for the wedding. It’s only 10 days to the D-day. There is tension in the air as Nayanthara walks in, radiating the lady boss vibe.

Next, we see a smiling Nayanthara sitting on a couch, telling us about her perfect family, how she is a 50:50 mix of her perfect parents. The wedding is forgotten.

Director Amith Krishnan tags his fare as being ‘beyond fairy tale’, but is stuck with the fairy tale bit. He is besotted with the girl from a “small town” in Kerala, who earned the epithet of Lady Superstar within a span of 18 years. With her father in the Air Force, the small-town girl sentiment does not cut much ice. Nor her struggles. One of the director’s talking heads, Radhika Sarathkumar, says, “I don’t think her journey has been easy.” But being spotted by director Sathyan Anthikad after she appeared on a magazine cover and offered a film role does not sound as much of a struggle. Initially hesitant, she agrees to play a role opposite Jayaram, after changing her name from Diana Mariam Kurian to Nayanthara. Anthikad says, “I feel like Nayanthara’s entry into cinema was by fate or God’s decision.” That says it all.

Even before she knows it, she is doing a film with actor Mohanlal. She climbs the ladder of stardom and works with icons like Mammootty, Rajinikanth and others.

Another talking head, Parvathy Thiruvothu, says, “Right now, being a boss babe is a cool thing. She did it at a time when all that was akin to witchcraft. I don’t know how she cracked it.” The director does not know it either. So, he does not venture into that territory at all.

There are more talking heads: Nagarjuna, Rana Daggubati, Tamannaah Bhatia, Upendra, Vijay Sethupathi, Atlee, Nelson Dilipkumar... There are college students, too, who idolise her.

Interviewing so many persons for a documentary defies logic, especially when the subject is present to do her own talking, but Krishnan feels their star power would land credibility to his narrative. The celebs do their part. Some describe Nayanthara as a true warrior who knows her place in showbiz; others highlight how her bold film choices shattered stereotypes.

Her mother, Omana Kurian, tells us how perfect a daughter she is, how she calls her mother thrice a day, no matter how busy she is and cares for her ailing father. Nayanthara takes the cue and slides into the mould, “I want people to feel a bit of hope and happiness when they see other people’s happiness.” That’s her reason for doing this documentary.

Director Vignesh Shivam’s entry into her life on the sets of ‘Naanum Rowdy Dhaan’ in 2015 takes the documentary back to where it all started. The wedding! With Tirupati out of reach, the venue shifts to a glass house in Mahabalipuram. Though there is nothing on what transpired in those 10 days to zero down on the venue or the actual preps, watching those candid shots from the wedding that capture Surya, Jyothika, Rajinikanth, Shah Rukh Khan, Anirudh Ravichander, Mani Ratnam and others is a treat.

Maybe Krishnan should’ve just focused on the wedding. Nayanthara, as Sethupathi puts it, understands how an actor’s image is created. And her desire to preserve her public persona turns this documentary into a masala film.