K. Manikandan
K. Manikandan is an Indian screenwriter and actor who works in the Tamil film industry. He is best known of his characters in Jai Bhim, Good Night, Lover and Kudumbasthan.
Career
Manikandan participated in Kalakka Povathu Yaaru? Season 4 and finished as the runner-up of the season. Subsequently, he joined an FM channel as a radio jockey while also dubbing/voice acting for several films and TV shows. He has also written dialogues for Telugu films dubbed in Tamil.He debuted as a writer with Pizza II: Villa. He made his acting debut with India Pakistan and played a minor role in the Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum directed by Nalan Kumarasamy. Manikandan then played an antagonist in Sri Ganesh's debut directorial venture 8 Thottakkal alongside M. S. Bhaskar and Lallu. He penned the dialogues for Pushkar–Gayathri's third directorial venture Vikram Vedha and also played a role of a police constable in the film. In 2018, Pa. Ranjith picked Manikandan for a role in Kaala. He paired with Nivedithaa Sathish in the romantic anthology film Sillu Karupatti, directed by Halitha Shameem. Manikandan received critical acclaim for his role in the film, Aelay.
Manikandan directed an independent film Narai Ezhuthum Suyasaritham starring Delhi Ganesh and himself. The film was selected to participate in Bengaluru International Film Festival under ‘Indian Cinema Competition’. Endless was one of the four films to be selected for screening at 16th New York Indian Film Festival.
He played the role of Rajakannu in the film Jai Bhim and won critical acclaim for his portrayal. He played the lead role in movie Good Night which became an audience favourite. In 2024, he starred in Lover, a romantic drama that received positive reviews for its realistic portrayal of modern relationships. He also joined hands with debutant director Rajeshwar Kalisamy for Kudumbasthan, which was released on 24 January 2025 in theaters to positive reviews from critics, becoming his third consecutive hit as the lead role.