Manoj K Jayan

Three times, Manoj K Jayan has won the Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Actor: for Kuttan Thampuran in Hariharan's Sargam (1992), for Thalakkal Chandu in Pazhassi Raja (2009) and for Kunjiraman in Farook Abdul Rahiman's Kaliyachan. He was born in Kottayam on 15 March 1966 into the Kadampoothramadam family, and his father, K. G. Jayan, is a Carnatic musician. After graduating from Government College, Kottayam, he studied acting at the Southern Film Institute in Thiruvananthapuram. His first role, a small part in Ente Sonia (1987), never reached theatres; his first lead came with Mamalakalkkappurathu (1988). Malayalam cinema has been his main ground, with a few Tamil films too. Among his other well-known characters are Thirumangalath Neelakandan Namboothiri in Perumthachan, Kunjunni Namboothiri in Parinayam, Unnikrishnan in Venkalam, Ananthakrishna Warrier in Sopanam and Digambaran in Anandabhadram. More lately he played Vincent in Rekhachithram (2025) and CI Satheesh Kumar in Thudakkam (2026).