Two hundred bodyguards had to be hired for Tamil actor Nayanthara while she was shooting in Kishangarh, a city in the Ajmer district of Indian state Rajasthan, for a song in her upcoming movie Velaikkaran.

After completing shooting the duet number, the Velaikkaran team visited the popular Ajmer dargah and sought blessings. Pictures from their visit were circulated on social media on Monday.

The film is about the food adulteration business and how a common man stands up against the scam.

The highest-paid South Indian female actor who has laid claim to the title of “Lady Superstar”, Nayanthara is most known for her glamorous appearances in big budget films.

The actor made her debut in 2003 with the Malayalam film Manassinakkare and later went on to become a most sought after heroine in Tamil and Telugu, acting opposite the top stars of the industries, including Rajinikanth.

However, Nayanthara doesn’t seem to be content to rest on her laurels. Having spent close to 15 years in the industry, she appears to be looking to do films that will give her more substantial roles. Ones that go beyond the song and dance routine.

In her another upcoming film, Aramm, Nayanthara will play a district collector. The teaser of the film shows the actor in a grey, cotton saree with muted make-up, against the backdrop of a protest.

The trailer, released on Wednesday, builds on what we saw in the teaser – the issue is water scarcity and the exploitation of resources by bottling companies. That would certainly find political resonance with the audience, much like the “social message” films of big male stars.