Hareesh Perumanna, known by his stage name Hareesh Kanaran, is an Indian comedian and film actor who appears in Malayalam films. He is best known for his stock character Jaliyan Kanaran which first appeared in Comedy Festival, a comedy reality show in Mazhavil Manorama.
Hareesh was born at Perumanna village in Kozhikode district of Kerala, India. He had his primary education at Govt. Ganapath High School for Boys in Kozhikode. He performed in the drama Naatam on school youth festival which was ranked first in the drama category. Hareesh married Sandhya, a school teacher and they have a son named Dhyan Hari and a daughter.
Hareesh began his career as a mimicry artist in a troupe named "Calicut Friends". He later joined troupes such as Calicut Super Jokes and V4 Calicut. He made his television debut in the Malayalam comedy reality show, Comedy Festival, aired in Mazhavil Manorama. His character as Jalianwala Kanaran made him a popular figure among the audiences. He made his film debut in the 2014 Malayalam film, Ulsaha Committee.
In November 2025, Kanaran claimed some allegations against the producer and production controller, N. M. Badusha. He claimed that Badusha borrowed â¹20 Lakhs from Kanaran and never repaid him. During the construction of Kanaran's new home, he asked Badusha for the money and Badusha said he would return soon. Kanaran approached the AMMA association before regarding the matter. However, he later found himself expelled from acting in movies. Kanaran also believes that Badusha used his influence to stop his screen presence. During the shot of ARM, Kanaran was supposed to do a role but was not called. During awards night, Tovino Thomas asked why he wasnâÂÂt a part of the movie and the team claimed he didnâÂÂt have any available dates.