# John Kokken

Anish John Kokken is an Indian actor and former model who has appeared in Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, and Malayalam films, playing mostly negative roles. He got recognition for playing Vembuli in Sarpatta Parambarai (2021).

## Early life

Anish John Kokken was born into a Malayali family in Thrissur, Kerala, but raised in Mumbai, Maharashtra. His father John was a school vice principal, and his mother a nurse. He has two brothers. Kokken studied BSE at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai before shifting to hotel management, which he did for two years.

## Career

Kokken began his career as a model, and after finishing in the last ten in the Gladrags 2005 contest, he chose to pursue a career as an actor. He appeared in his first film, Kalabham during 2006, and subsequently continued to play supporting roles across the Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam film industries. In 2010 he was introduced to Kannada cinema by the famous actor cum producer Puneeth Rajkumar using Dr. Rajkumar's films. During this period, he notably portrayed antagonistic roles in films including Yevadu (2014), Baahubali: The Beginning, (2015) and the K.G.F film series. In 2021, Kokken notably appeared as boxer Vembuli in Pa. Ranjith's period drama Sarpatta Parambarai, before portraying the main antagonist in Thunivu (2023). Later that year, he appeared in the streaming television series The Village and The Freelancer.

## Personal life

From 2012 to 2016, Kokken was married to actress Meera Vasudevan and they have a son. In April 2019, he married actress Pooja Ramachandran. They have a son born in April 2023.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Film | Role | Language |
| 2006 | Kalabham | Jihadi Terrorist Bhai | Malayalam |
| 2009 | Love In Singapore | Rahul | Malayalam |
| 2009 | IG | Yasser Shah | Malayalam |
| 2010 | Alexander The Great | Moneylender | Malayalam |
| 2010 | Shikkar | Thambi Muthalali | Malayalam |
| 2010 | Prithvi | Nagendra Nayak | Kannada |
| 2010 | Shourya | Vijayendra Varma's son | Kannada |
| 2010 | Mylari | Anitha's brother | Kannada |
| 2010 | Don Seenu | Praveen Duggal | Telugu |
| 2010 | Shourya | | Kannada |
| 2011 | Osthe | | Tamil |
| 2011 | Teen Maar | Vasumati's brother | Telugu |
| 2012 | Ko Ko | | Kannada |
| 2012 | Anna Bond | John Mathew | Kannada |
| 2012 | Shiva | Panduraanga Shetty's son | Kannada |
| 2012 | Adhinayakudu | Minister's son | Telugu |
| 2012 | Daruvu | Bihari contract killer | Telugu |
| 2013 | Man of the Match | | Telugu |
| 2014 | Veeram | Aaadalarasu’s right hand guy | Tamil |
| 2014 | Yevadu | Deva | Telugu |
| 2014 | 1: Nenokkadine | | Telugu |
| 2015 | Baahubali: The Beginning | Kalakeya | Telugu |
| 2015 | Bruce Lee | | Telugu |
| 2016 | Lakshmana | | Kannada |
| 2016 | Sardaar Gabbar Singh | Pathaan | Telugu |
| 2016 | Janatha Garage | Satpal | Telugu |
| 2016 | Chuttalabbai | | Telugu |
| 2017 | Tiyaan | Pakistani | Malayalam |
| 2017 | Raja The Great | Henchman of Devaraj | Telugu |
| 2018 | K.G.F: Chapter 1 | John | Kannada |
| 2019 | Kantharam | Special Appearance | Malayalam |
| 2019 | Venky Mama | Bihari Contract Killer | Telugu |
| 2019 | Maharshi | Vivek Mittal's PA | Telugu |
| 2021 | Sarpatta Parambarai | Vembuli | Tamil |
| 2022 | Poikkal Kuthirai | Deva | Tamil |
| 2022 | James | John | Kannada |
| 2022 | K.G.F: Chapter 2 | John | Kannada |
| 2023 | Thunivu | Krish | Tamil |
| 2023 | Veera Simha Reddy | Raja Reddy | Telugu |
| 2024 | Captain Miller | Prince Jayavardhan | Tamil |
| 2025 | Madha Gaja Raja | Pedha Perumal's son | Tamil |
| 2025 | Kadhalikka Neramillai | Karan | Tamil |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Channel | Notes |
| 2023 | The Village | Farhan Hameed | Amazon Prime Video | Tamil |
| 2023 | The Freelancer | Raghavendra Sethu | Disney+ Hotstar | Hindi |