Relationship controversies

• Nayanthara’s relationships have been under media scrutiny. She was in a high-profile relationship with actor Prabhu Deva which ended in 2012 amid cheating allegations.
• Her current relationship with director Vignesh Shivan has also drawn criticism that it began when he was still married.

Surrogacy controversy

• In 2022, Nayanthara and Vignesh announced they were having twins via surrogacy. This led to some backlash as commercial surrogacy is banned in India. There were allegations they used an illegal surrogacy clinic and questions about whether they followed proper procedures.

Religion controversy

• Nayanthara was born into a Hindu Malayali family, but later converted to Christianity. There have been allegations from Hindu groups that she concealed her original faith early in her career to avoid controversy. Some have criticized her conversion and Christian religious ceremonies.

Movie controversies

• Some of Nayanthara’s costumes and roles in films like Villian, Devadas, and Iru Mugan have drawn criticism from conservative groups claiming they are vulgar or against Indian culture. Her lip-lock scenes have also caused controversy.

Political controversies

• In 2021, Nayanthara withdrew from a biopic about revolutionary Tamil poet Thiyagi Thirumalvar after backlash that a non-Tamil actress was chosen. There were allegations she was forced out due to caste politics.