The “Lady Superstar” of the South Cinema, Nayanthara, is finally stepping into her 40s. The most influential and one of the highest-paid actresses celebrates her birthday today on November 18, marking another milestone in her career, one that has defined the stardom of women in India.
She became the only South Indian actress to be featured in Forbes India’s ‘Celebrity 100’ list in 2018. With her unwavering success and command on screen, she has built a legacy of her own.
She debuted in 2003 through a Malyalam movie Manassinakkare and since then Nayanthara has appeared in over 75 films as a true pan-Indian actress. Be it Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam or Hindi, her presence has always set the theatres on fire.
With such intense performance she has earned five Filmfare Awards South, a Tamil Nadu State Film Award, a Nandi Award, and seven SIIMA Awards.
Across the four industries and countless genres, Nayanthara continues to evolve. She was last seen in a psychological sports thriller, starring R. Madhavan and Siddharth. After the successful hit, fans can’t wait to see her next big blockbusters. Here is a list of all the exciting projects that are lined up for Nayanthara.
6. NBK111: The reunion with Balakrishna after 7 years (November 26, 2025)
This is the latest announcement coinciding with Nayanthara’s birthday. Directed by Gopichand Malineni, the upcoming movie features Nayanthara and Balakrishna. The announcement was officially released by the filmmakers. She will be featured as a queen. In the promo video, she was seen riding a horse in a queen’s attire.
Releasing the poster, Gopichand wrote: “Here she comes Welcoming the one and only Queen #Nayanthara garu into the world of #NBK111. Honoured to have her power and grace in our story. Wishing you a wonderful Birthday.
Excited to see you on set soon. @nbk111movie GOD OF MASSES #NandamuriBalaKrishna Venkataskilaru vriddhicinemas (sic).” Vriddhi Cinema, the production house, also tweeted, congratulating and wishing her on her birthday.
5. MMMN / Patriot (2026)
Patriot or MMMN is a political thriller Malayalam film helmed by Mahesh Narayana. The film’s cast is huge starring Nayanthara alongside Mammootty, Fahadh Faasil, Mohanlal and Kucjacko Boban.
The film is reported to shoot in multiple locations including Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Sri Lanka and Vishakhapatnam. Destination places like Thailand and Abu Dhabi are also included in the list.
Given the cast and the shooting places, the movie is being called one of the most ambitious Malayalam films of recent years. The release date of the movie has not been announced yet.
4. Dear Students (2026)
This upcoming movie is a bilingual (Malayalam–Tamil) action-comedy directed by George Philip Roy and Sandeep Kumar.
This movie features Nayanthara’s reunion with Nivin Pauly, with whom she previously worked in Love Action Drama (2019).
The teaser posted on the official YouTube channel by Pauly Jr. Pictures revealed Nayanthara in the character of a police officer. The teaser suggests a mix of humour, action, and investigation. Filming was wrapped earlier in March 2025, and the team even celebrated with a fun BTS video.
3. Mookuthi Amman 2 (2026)
The sequel to Mookuthi Amman (2020) is currently in production. This is a spiritual-themed film helmed by director Sunder C which will focus on the journey of a goddess who fights the evil in order to protect the right.
The sequel is being produced at Rs 100 crore which suggests that it is going to be much bigger than the first film. The movie stars Duniya Vijay as a villain and the supporting cast includes Yogi Babu, Ajay Ghosh and Myna Nandhini.
The muhurat Puja was held on 6 March, 2025 but the release date hasn’t been confirmed yet. Some reports suggest that it will be released in November 2025, but others push the date to early 2026.
2. Toxic (March 19, 2026)
This movie is a psychological thriller, written and directed by Geetu Mohandas. The Kannada action thriller is anticipated to be one of the most high profile projects of Nayanthara. The film features Yash, Kiara Advani, Darrell D’Silva, Tara Sutaria, Huma Qureshi, and Akshay Oberoi alongside Nayanthara.
As of now, the production is still underway and the team is wrapping up post-production and VFX. The movie will be released on March 19, 2026
Also Read: Nayanthara Net Worth 2025: Salary, Luxury Cars, Expensive Homes & Business Empire
1. Mega157 (January 2026)
Anil Ravipudi’s Mega 157 is a Telugu drama. The movie written by S. Krishna, G. Adi Narayana, Ajju Mahakali and Anil Ravipudi is still undercovers. Casts and the plot is not yet known.
After Sye Raa Narsimha Reddy and Godfather, this movie will mark Nayanthara’s third collaboration with Chiranjevi. Shootings are underway and the film is speculated to release in January 2026 near Sankranti.
Naynthara might be stepping into another year but her career journey will never slow down. These line up projects are the proof that Nayanthara will continue to raise the bar. Wishing the “Lady Superstar” a heartful and fabulous birthday!
Written by Supriya