Narain made his debut in Adoor Gopalakrishnan's Nizhalkuthu but came to limelight after his performance in For The People. He did his first lead role in Sathyan Anthikkad's Achuvinte Amma and became a rage among youngsters after his performance in the Lal Jose blockbuster Classmates. He has also acted in Tamil films and has won the Filmfare award for Best Actor - Tamil for his performance in the movie Anjathe.