Nayantara was born in Bangalore, Karnataka to Knanaya Malayali parents, Kurian Kodiyattu and Omana Kurian.^[4][8] Her brother, Leno, who is nine years elder to her, lives in Dubai.^[9] As her father was an Indian Air Force official, she studied in various parts of India, mainly in North India.^[9] She did her schooling in Chennai, Jamnagar, Gujarat and Delhi. Following his retirement, they settled in Kerala, where she continued her college studies, at the Kendriya Vidyalaya schools in Kerala. In Tiruvalla, she studied at Balikamadom Girls Higher Secondary School and then attended Marthoma College for her bachelor's degree in English Literature. She has said that she would have become a chartered accountant if not an actress.^[10]