Thomas James, popularly known by his stage name Manikuttan, is an Indian actor, singer, and television host born on 2 March 1986 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, to James and Eliyamma. He attended St. Mary's Higher Secondary School in Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram, and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from Mahatma Gandhi College, Thiruvananthapuram. He made his acting debut as a child artist in the Malayalam film Varnachirakukal (1999). His first lead role came with the campus film Oru Peelekanenta Oormakke (2004), shot in his own college. He gained widespread recognition with his lead role in the Asianet serial Kayamkulam Kochunni (2004), playing the legendary Robin Hood-like folk hero. He went on to appear in over 35 Malayalam films including Boyy Friennd (2005), Black Cat (2007), Hotel California (2013), Mamangam (2019), and Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea (2021, as Moyinkutty). He also appeared in the Tamil anthology Navarasa (2021) and the television serials Black and White (2016) and Devi Mahathmayam (2017), and hosted shows including Super Jodi and Rani Maharani. He has been a long-standing member of the Kerala Strikers team in the Celebrity Cricket League. He entered Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 3 (hosted by Mohanlal, premiered 14 February 2021) on Asianet. Midway through the season he walked out due to a disagreement with fellow contestant Sandhya but was brought back. He won the grand finale held on 1 August 2021 at EVP Film City, Chennai, taking home the trophy, an apartment worth ₹75 lakh, and the Entertainer of the Season award.
Lead role as Kayamkulam Kochunni in the iconic Asianet TV serial of the same name (2004); Malayalam films Boyy Friennd (2005), Mamangam (2019), and Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea (2021); hosting Super Jodi and Rani Maharani; representing Kerala Strikers in Celebrity Cricket League; winner of Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 3 (2021).
