Nayanthara’s bald photos go viral before ‘Toxic’ release: Are they real?

Lady Superstar Nayanthara has found herself at the centre of a new social media rumour just days before the release of ‘Toxic’.

A set of photos showing the actor with what appears to be a completely shaved head has been doing the rounds online, leaving fans wondering if she had undergone a dramatic transformation for the upcoming film.

The pictures began circulating widely on X and Instagram around August 16. In them, Nayanthara appears near the entrance of a temple, sporting a bald look. Given that ‘Toxic’ is nearing its theatrical release, it did not take long for speculation to connect the images to the film. Some social media users assumed that the actor had shaved her head for the success of the film.

The viral images have been identified as AI-edited pictures. According to fact-check reports, eagle-eyed social media users noticed a watermark associated with an AI image generator in the images.

The original photographs show Nayanthara with her actual hair during a visit to the Tirumala temple in April 2026. She had visited the temple with her husband, filmmaker Vignesh Shivan.

The temple visit itself was real. It was Nayanthara's appearance in the photographs that was digitally altered later. AI tools were apparently used to replace her original hairstyle with a bald look, creating the impression that she had shaved her head.

The timing of the fake images appears to have helped the rumour gain momentum. ‘Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups’, directed by Geetu Mohandas, is scheduled to arrive in theatres worldwide on August 26.

The film stars Yash alongside Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Tara Sutaria, Huma Qureshi and Rukmini Vasanth. It has been shot in Kannada and English and is also set to release in dubbed versions including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.

With the film's promotions already in full swing, Nayanthara has also stepped outside her usual approach to film publicity. The actor, who generally keeps promotional appearances for her movies limited, attended the Toxic trailer launch in Bengaluru. She reportedly revealed at the event that she made an exception because Yash personally called and invited her.

The trailer was officially announced for August 8, while the theatrical release remains set for August 26. Toxic has also attracted attention for its ensemble of female characters, with Nayanthara, Kiara, Tara, Rukmini and Huma all playing important roles.

Nayanthara has several other projects lined up as well, including ‘Hi’, ‘Mookuthi Amman 2’, ‘Mannangatti Since 1960’, ‘Dear Students’, ‘Rakkai’ and ‘SVC63’.

The latter will reunite her with Salman Khan after Jawan and marks their second Hindi film together. The Vamshi Paidipally directorial is expected to release around Eid next year.