From being a college dropout to featuring in a national award-winning movie: Lesser known facts of Bigg Boss Malayalam 3 winner Manikuttan

Bigg Boss Malayalam season 3 has crowned actor Manikuttan as the winner. The actor became a sensation on Malayalam TV after his exceptional performance in the reality show. From starting his career as a TV actor to featuring in a national award-winning movie, here are some of the lesser-known facts about Manikuttan.

Born Thomas James, the actor has chosen his pet name as his screen name after his entry into the entertainment industry.

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Manikuttan had a struggling childhood as his family suffered a severe financial crisis. In one of the tasks in Bigg Boss, the actor shared that he grew up in the house of his father's boss and narrated the hardships he had faced in childhood.

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Evergreen Malayalam TV show, 'Kayamkulam Kochunni' marked Manikuttan's TV debut. The actor played young Kochunni in the show and his character became a sensation.

"I attended the audition for a supporting role in the serial. I was surprised when I got selected to play the youth of Kayamkulam Kochunni. I wasn't confident enough to do it. I panicked when I realised that I have to essay the character which was once done by legendary actor Satyan in the movie. Initially, I was assigned to do only 8 episodes, thanks to the audience support, I completed 200 plus episodes playing the ever-loving thief," he recollected," The actor said in an earlier interview with ETimes-TV.

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It is a lesser-known fact that the actor is a college drop out as he got dismissed for missing classes due to hectic shooting schedules.

"It was my dream to pursue a B.com degree from MG college. I managed to get a seat there too. But, due to the shoots, I missed many classes and the college dismissed me. As the famous quotation says, No pain no gain. I ended up as a dropout but my on-screen character is still afresh in the minds of viewers," he said earlier.

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After 'Kayamkulam Kochunni', Manikuttan made his movie debut with 'Boy Friend'. Later, he managed to feature in some notable roles in movies like 'Chotta Mumbai', 'Positive', 'Hareendran Oru Nishkalankan', 'Mamangam' and more.

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The actor was also seen hosting reality shows like 'Super Jodi' and 'Rani Maharani'.

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Manikuttan is also known for his passion for cricket. He was one of the popular players of Mollywood actor's cricket team 'Kerala Strikers'.

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Manikuttan played the character Mayinkutty in the national award winning movie 'Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea'.

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The actor has played a meaty role in the upcoming Tamil anthology web series created by Mani Ratnam. Manikuttan has played the character, Sanda Mani, in the Priyadarshan directorial short movie, 'Summer of '92'.

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