Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale Review: Nayanthara-Dhanush's war-of-words is more interesting than this overly-rehearsed documentary

Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairy Tale is currently streaming on Netflix.

The release of ‘Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale’ on Netflix comes shortly after a public war-of-words between the actress and Dhanush. The public spat included four-page long statements, legal notices and a German word (which has piqued the curiosity of wordsmiths). But does the documentary spill some hot tea, shocking revelations and controversial quotes that match up to this drama?

For starters, Nayanthara rarely gives media interviews so this documentary is like a veil being lifted off of the Lady Superstar’s mostly private and fiercely-guarded life. However, the opening scene made this critic question if Beyond The Fairy Tale is a documentary or fiction. That is how rehearsed and orchestrated the conversations between the wedding planners seems.

A dejected Nayanthara, with over-the-top expressions walks out and sits alone on a bench. Halfway through the runtime, director and Nayanthara’s now husband ‘Wikki’ Vignesh Sivan comes to comfort her. The very obviously orchestrated scene takes away from the naturalistic feel one usually associates with documentaries.

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Sure, there will piece-to-cameras, influential actors sharing their experience with the subject (Nayanthara), as was the case with Saleem-Javed's ‘Angry Young Men’ but the orchestration seems way too obvious in this documentary which also features footage from Vignesh and Nayanthara's wedding.

The 1 hour, 22 minute long peek into Nayanthara's life has her talk about her filmography. She addresses the fat shaming she was subjected to post the release of Ghajini. She also touches on the bold scene where she donned a bikini in Meher Ramesh's Billa (2009). The actress tears up while talking about her father who is suffering from chronic illness.

Nayanthara shares that her father has been in the ICU for 14 years. One can't help but empathize with her for there is no pain bigger than seeing one’s parents age. Rana Daggubati appreciates Nayanthara's persona saying, “She walked in like a thug and stayed a thug”. Director Atlee appears at one point, appreciating Nayanthara's role in Jawaan (2023).

"She'll try to understand how the director conceives the scene. She also knows how she is being projected", says actor Vijay Sethupati. Besides Nayanthara's industry friends talking about her legacy, we see Nagarjuna spill beans on her past relationship with actor filmmaker Silrambarasan TR. For the uninitiated, Nayanthara had quit the industry for two years as an outcome of this relationship.

Also see: Nayanthara vs Dhanush: From thick friends to sworn enemies, their feud explained in 10 points

"She was going through a dramatic time due to a relationship. We would dread the phone ringing...the minute it rang, this girl's mood would come down", says Nagarjuna. Nayanthara addresses her absence from the industry: "I left the industry because the man told me to leave the industry. It was never my choice". It is a moment of honesty we rarely see in tell-alls.

Despite some interesting revelations, the documentary comes across a bit…rehearsed. Think a director talking about how Nayanthara stayed at a hotel which served non-vegetarian food but didn't eat food or drink water on account of being vegetarian. At one point, Vignesh highlights how Nayanthara never took advantage of their dynamic on the sets of ‘Naanum Rowdy Dhaan”.

Also read: Dhanush responds to Nayanthara’s accusations over Netflix documentary; lawyer issues statement, ‘Take down content within 24 hours or…’

"If I am in a relationship with the director, I am allowed to come to set late and tweak our lines..Nayan wasn't like that"...Vignesh explains. Isn't that basic decency though? It seems like the documentary is pushing this narrative of Nayanthara being a sanskaari, vegetarian, spiritual epitome of grace. There is no room for imperfections it seems.

Post the halfway mark, the action shifts to Vignesh and Nayan's wedding which, honestly, is a chore to get through. The actress-director duo talk about their relationship, dates and all that flowery wedding stuff. Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairy Tale offers some interesting revelations about the Lady Superstar's life. We also see her address some of the controversies she was embroiled in. However, it won't be wrong to say that the drama between Nayanthara and Dhanush is way more entertaining than these revelations.

Star rating: 2.5 / 5 stars

Nayanthara: Before The Fairytale is now streaming on Netflix.