Thomas James better known by his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Manikuttan or 'MK', is an Indian

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

who prominently works in the

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

film industry The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post ...

. He is known for his role as

Kayamkulam Kochunni Kayamkulam Kochunni (born 1818) was a heroic outlaw from Kayamkulam, who lived during the late 19th century. He was active in the Travancore area in the present-day Kerala, India. He is said to have stolen from the rich and given to the poor. L ...

in the famous TV serial of the same title broadcast by Surya TV in 2004. He was the part of the

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

Strikers Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

team in

Celebrity Cricket League The Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) is an amateur men's cricket league in India. It consists of nine teams of film actors from nine major regional film industries of Indian cinema. The league commenced in 2011. Salman Khan is Brand Ambassador f ...

for several years. He is the title winner of '' Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 3 in 2021''.

Early life and background

He was born to James and Eliyamma in Nalumukk a locality near Kudappanakunnu and Peroorkada in

Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

, India. He attended St. Mary's Higher Secondary School, Pattom, Trivandrum and studied

B.Com A Bachelor of Commerce (abbreviated BComm or BCom; also, ''baccalaureates commercii'') is an undergraduate degree in business, usually awarded in Canada, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Ireland, New Zealand, Ghana, South Africa, Myanma ...

at Mahatma Gandhi College, Thiruvananthapuram.

Career

Acting debut

His acting debut was in the

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

'', which was aired on Surya TV.

Debut in Malayalam cinema

His debut film was ''Varnachirakukal''. He was the main lead in the campus film ''Oru Peelekanenta Oormakke'' taken by Mahatma College, Thiruvananthapuram in 2004. His first film appearance was in the

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

'' Boy Friend'' (2005), directed by

Vinayan T. G. Vinayakumar (born 16 May 1957), professionally credited as Vinayan, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, and lyricist, who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema and occasionally in Tamil cinema. Early life Vinayan is from ...

. He acted in major movies like Mamangam (2019), Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea (2021).

Big Boss Malayalam (Season 3 2021)

In February 2021, he entered the third iteration of reality game show

Bigg Boss Malayalam ''Bigg Boss'' is an Indian Malayalam-language non-scripted reality television game show produced by Endemol Shine Group, Endemol Shine India, now owned by Banijay, and broadcast on Asianet (TV channel), Asianet. It is an adaptation of the reali ...

hosted by

Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeare ...

Asianet Asianet may refer to: Disney Star channels *Asianet Communications, an Indian media company wholly owned by Disney Star **Asianet (TV channel), a Malayalam language general entertainment channel **Asianet Plus, a Malayalam language general entertai ...

channel. He gained huge acceptance among viewers for his performance in the show. The show had been stopped due to the pandemic from its 96th episode, but a winner was selected through voting. On 24 July 2021, Manikkuttan was declared the winner of Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 3 at the Grand Finale conducted at EVP Film City,

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

. He won the award for being the "Entertainer of the Season".

Filmography

*''All films are in

language unless otherwise noted''.

Film

Television

Serials

Other television shows

References

External links

* {{authority control Indian male film actors Indian male television actors Living people Male actors from Thiruvananthapuram Male actors in Malayalam cinema 21st-century Indian male actors Male actors in Malayalam television Bigg Boss Malayalam contestants Male actors in Tamil cinema 1990 births