Naveen Arakkal (നവീൻ അറക്കൽ), full name Naveen Thomas Arakkal, is an Indian actor and competitive bodybuilder born on 10 October 1984 in Kochi, Kerala. His father is Arakkal and his mother is Sofia. He attended Hill Valley High School, Kochi, and holds a degree from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). He comes from a film family - his relative is the veteran director A. Vincent. He began his career in Malayalam serials, debuting on Asianet with Velankanni Mathavu (2009), a Christian devotional serial. He subsequently appeared in a series of notable serials: Asianet's popular family drama Amma (in the role of Arjun, a police officer), the mythological short film Vishudha Geevarghese (as the young St. George), the family drama Balamani (as Raghavan), and the Surya TV serial Spandanam (2015). He also had the lead role of Nandan in Nandanam (portraying a Gandharvan/celestial character). In Malayalam cinema, he appeared in the superhit Jis Joy-directed film Bicycle Thieves (2013, alongside Asif Ali) and the Mohanlal-starrer Kandahar (2010). He later appeared in Snehakkoottu (2024). A committed fitness enthusiast, he won the Mr. Ernakulam title in 2022 and has served as a judge at bodybuilding contests and beauty pageants. He received the Kalabhavan Mani Memorial Award and has appeared on the reality show Star Magic. In March 2022, he entered Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 4 as the first-ever contestant introduced on the show. He initially won the captaincy position but it was later transferred when he was jailed. He was evicted in Week 5 (Day 34), finishing fifteenth overall.
Malayalam serials Amma (Asianet, as the macho police officer Arjun), Seetha (2017), Spandanam (Surya TV, 2015), Velankanni Mathavu (2009), and Snehakkoottu (2024); Malayalam film Bicycle Thieves (2013, with Asif Ali); winning Mr. Ernakulam bodybuilding title (2022); receiving the Kalabhavan Mani Memorial Award; finishing fifteenth on Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 4 (2022).
