Narain's first film was Nizhalkuthu. His first commercial film, 4 The People, was dubbed in Tamil and Telugu. He portrayed a struggling lawyer, Emmanuel John, in Achuvinte Amma and also played a doctor, Jeevan, in Sheelabathi. He also played roles in Annorikal and Classmates. His debut Tamil movie was Chithiram Pesuthadi. Through Panthaya Kozhi, produced by director Lal, he has been re-launched as an independent action hero in the Malayalam film industry. In 2008, he did another youth-oriented Malayalam movie Minnaminnikoottam. He has acted in more than 20 Malayalam movies.[1]
Narain played the lead role in P. T. Kunju Muhammed's Veeraputhran (2011). He collaborated with director Mysskin on the 2008 film Anjaathe and the 2012 superhero film Mugamoodi where he portrayed a villain. However his career high came through the 2019, Lokesh Kanagaraj directed venture Kaithi (2019), co starring with Karthi .[2] In 2022, Vikram who bridges two films occurring in the same universe starring Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi, and Fahadh Faasil.[3]
However, he got his first big recognition in Mazhavil Kavadi, the 1989 film directed by Sathyan Anthikkad, for a serious character as 'Kalarickel Kizhamkamthudiyil Shankarankutty Menon', in a full-fledged role alongside the film's hero Jayaram. The role fetched him the state government's best actor in a supporting role. Reportedly, Innocent struggled during the dubbing of the film when his lip movement would not match the dialogue, and when both lip movement and dialogue come in sync, the emotion would not match up. Finally, Sathyan Anthikkad told him that he would be forced to pray at the Mookambika temple to get Innocent going. To this Innocent, then slowly finding his feet in the industry, retorted, half-jokingly, 'Who asked you to cast me in this role? You could have cast some famous actors in this role.'
2018: Everyone is a Hero is based on a story of the devastating 2018 Kerala floods that left a trail of destruction and loss across the state. Even though the spirits of the country were shaken, from Kerala emerged stories that etched themselves in the archives of heroism. Ever since the film was released, it not only became the highest-grossing Malayalam film of the year but found a place in the top three highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time. Directed by the visionary Jude Anthany Joseph, the film showcases the resilience of people from all walks of life who find themselves thrust into the eye of calamity and how unity becomes their driving force. You can watch the film 2018: Everyone is a Hero on SonyLIV exclusively.
aa06259810