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A single film turned her into a familiar face for Malayalam movie fans, yet she stepped away before a second chance arrived. Deepa Nayar won hearts as Annie opposite Kunchacko Boban in the 2000 hit ‘Priyam’. The romantic comedy worked at the box office, the songs became popular, and viewers expected to see more of the newcomer. They never did. Years later, she has explained why she vanished from the screen and built a life far from cinema.

Why Deepa Nayar quit acting after 'Priyam'According to Screen, Deepa addressed the long silence in a video on her Instagram page. She said, “Many people ask why I quit acting after just one film. They wonder if it was because my experience on the set was bad. Not at all. The set of Priyam was amazing. It was incredibly fun, especially with all the kids around. If I were to explain what happened… my entry into the cinema was as unexpected as my exit…”

The film followed Benny and the three children he raised after a tragedy. Deepa played his childhood friend who slowly wins over the family. The character became widely loved, especially during the song “Minnaminni Ithiripponne Minnanathellam Ponnalla.”

Life after the hit film 'Priyam' for Deepa NayarDeepa said she received a few chances but chose education first. “I received two or three offers after Priyam. I was a student back then. Those offers weren’t good enough to justify dropping out of my engineering studies to go and act. Hence, my parents and I decided that I complete my studies first. But after that, no more offers came. Social media wasn’t as active as it is today, right? People simply forgot that such a person existed. That’s what happened.”

She also pointed to the arrival of a strong new wave of actresses, including Navya Nair, Meera Jasmine, and Bhavana, during that period.

“After my studies, I wanted to go abroad. Thus, I moved to Melbourne University for my Master’s, and then I got busy with my career. That’s how I completely left the movie world,” she said.

Today, Deepa works as a software engineer. She lives in Melbourne with her husband Rajeev Nair and their daughters, content with the turn her life took away from the arc lights.