Thomas James, better known by his stage name Manikuttan, is an Indian film and television actor. He was born Thomas James to James and Eliyamma in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. He attended St. Mary's Higher Secondary School, Pattom, Trivandrum and studied commerce at Mahatma Gandhi College. His debut film is Varnachirakukal(1999)-Children's film. Before that he appeared in lots of dramas in Doordarshan, as child artist.He is the hero of the Campus Film "Oru Peelekanenta oormakke" taken by M.G College Trivandrum in 2004. He appeared first in the television series Kayamkulam Kochunni, which was aired on Surya TV. His first film appearance was in the Malayalam-language film Boyy Friennd (2005) directed by Vinayan.