Nayanthara / Shalakha

**Nayanthara** was the main character of the fourth season of Naagin series which was initially played by Jashmin Bhasin but Nayanthara's new identity **Shalakha** was played by Rashmi Desai who also had a guest appearance in the fifth and sixth seasons of Naagin as well.

## Nayanthara:

Nayanthara was switched at birth with Brinda. Nayanthara was then raised by Manyata(a shapeshifting serpent who lost her powers due to the Ashlesha Nakshatra curse and she wanted revenge from Parekh family for killing her husband and family). Manyata then trained Nayanthara for revenge since childhood and started to wait for Nayanthara's 25th birthday. After 25 years, Nayanthara entered the Parekh family as a family friend to take revenge and started to plot against them with Manyata who had regained her powers by then. Nayanthara planned to marry Dev Parekh to enter the Parekh family for revenge.

During Nayanthara's 25th birthday, Nayanthara did not gain her Naagin powers which made her think whether she was Manyata's real daughter or not. Nayanthara discovered that Brinda was a naagin and also Manyata's real daughter. Nayanthara got jealous and tried to kill Brinda. Nayanthara's plan to marry Dev was accomplishing unless Manyata took her away when she learnt the Parekhs knew Nayanthara being Manyata's daughter because of Brinda. Since then, Nayanthara started to hate Brinda. Nayanthara was forced to run away from the city in train by Manyata.

In train, Nayanthara met Vishakha who took her disguise and rescued her from Parekhs' boys who were trying to kill Nayanthara. Nayanthara then decided to take the help of Vishakha to take down Brinda.

   Nayanthara was forced by Vishakha to touch a pearl but Dev got there and he accidently touched the pearl before Nayanthara could and the pearl got placed inside his head. Nayanthara then learnt the pearl to be Naagmani (Cobra's pearl) and also learnt that Vishakha was using her for Naagmani. Nayanthara got trapped in pillar by angry Vishakha.

## Shalakha:

Nayanthara then got freed from pillar with the help of mirror witch Mundika who was covering her face and did not intend to show it to Nayanthara. Mundika then agreed to help Nayanthara to enter Parekhs family and take revenge against Brinda.

Since Mundika had already given Nayanthara a new face, Nayanthara decided to change her name to Shalakha.

Shalakha then married Dev and entered Parekh family with the help of Mundika but soon afterwards Brinda came back and Shalakha's hatred for her started to brew once again and she decided to snatch everything from Brinda.

Shalakha soon killed Billi(Dev's cousin) and when she learnt Vishakha being Mundika then framed her for the murder and used Mundika's magical ring to hypnotize Dev to kill Swara. Shalakha then with Vishakha who was in the form of Brinda helped her in the plan to kill the whole Parekh's family and tried to use Dev for Naagmani.

In Rahasmayee Mandir, Shalkha along with Vishakha blackmailed Brinda for Naagmani to protect Dev and she even revealed herself as Nayanthara in front of Brinda and her true motive to destroy Brinda who stole her mother(Manyata) from her and when Shesha and Naagrani came back from Naaglok, Shalakha got killed by Shesha.

Shalakha mysteriously survived and had became a shapeshifting serpent somehow who was disowned by every serpent clans. Shalakha by then had realized her mistake started for strict penance and when Naagin Mahek told her about her doopleganger Shangrila, Shalakha decided to fight against Shangrila. Shalakha then killed Shangrila.

Shalakha then even witnessed Sarvashresth Sheshnaagin Pratha sucking out the poison from Yamuna river. Shalakha pretended to be Shangrila infront of conspirators which helped Pratha to kill two conspiractors . Shalakha even became first of her kinds who got to learnt the story of Sheshnaagin which was narrated by Sheshnaagin herself and was liberated from her sins for stealing the Naagmani by the grace of Sarvashreshth Shesh Naagin Pratha and then got included in Sheshnaag clan. Shalakha then bid farewell to Pratha and Mahek and returned back to Naaglok.