Actor Sandeep Pradeep has an ease about him that has endeared him to the audience. And he seems to be moving towards something big, going by the films in his kitty.

While he breezed through his role as the overconfident boxer, Shifas Ahmed, in the sports comedy flick, Alappuzha Gymkhana, in his next release, Padakkalam, he is sharing the screen with Sharafudheen and Suraj Venjaramoodu. To top it all, he is playing the lead in the new project from the team of the gripping, slow-burn thriller, Kishkindha Kaandam, directed by Dinjith Ayyathan.

Actor Sandeep Pradeep
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Sandeep’s big ticket to fame has been Nithish Sahadev’s Falimy, in which he was loved by the audience for his dialogue delivery and comic timing, playing Basil Joseph’s younger brother. His earlier films are Pathinettam Padi and Antakshari, and Ek Din, which has not been released yet.

“Within a month of Falimy’s release, I got a call for Alappuzha Gymkhana. That offer itself was a confidence booster and when I learnt that I was among the main characters I was on cloud nine. Even though I was apprehensive about going for a physical transformation to play the boxer, I could pull it off, thanks to the long hours I spent at the gym and boxing lessons.” Alappuzha Gymkhana, Sandeep says, has made him physically and mentally strong.

The film explores the journey of a group of youngsters, who after failing their Plus 2 exams, try learning boxing to get admission in college via the sports quota. At 27, was it difficult playing a student? “Not really. It was easy to feel and look that age because of the vibrant team of actors on the set. The vibe helped me pull off that character.”

The response for the movie and his character has been overwhelming, he adds. “I am happy that the effort we all put in did not go in vain. Youngsters have loved the film and we all are elated by that.”

Sandeep Pradeep in a still from Alappuzha Gymkhana
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Sandeep says that executing the boxing scene in the second half was the toughest. “We were up against real boxers who overpowered us with their punches. Rahman ikka (director Khalid Rahman) said I should try to do the scene in one shot.”

He was up against Sadak, a professionaI kickboxing champion. “It was challenging to take the blow in one take, without anticipating the punch. So, neither I nor Sadak could fake anything. I managed to pull it off, the result being a lot of pain and a sprained neck,” he says, laughing.

The fight in the climax outside the boxing ring was also challenging. “We even injured each other unknowingly in the thick of action! I got a nasty hit near my eye.”

Sandeep is quick to point out the brilliance of Jamshi Khalid, the cinematographer, while capturing the fight scenes. “It was stunning to see how he and his camera moved with the boxers. The action was happening in a limited space and there were multiple fights. He managed to make each fight look different from the other and I was an awe of how he did that.”

The actor also gushes about the cast, comprising seniors and fresh faces — Naslen Gafoor, Lukman Avaran, Ganapathi, Franco Francis, Baby Jean, Karthik, Shon Joy and Shiva Hariharan. “The seniors helped me a lot, without throwing their weight around. All of us chilled in the same caravan and I am happy to have made so many friends with this movie.”

Sandeep says he always wanted to become an actor. “Cinema always fascinated me. Whenever someone asked what I wanted to be I would be confused. I found the answer in the characters I saw in the movies. I became so attached to the medium that I felt that if I become an actor I could be whoever I wanted to be!”

Short films were his first step towards this, starting with his school days in his home town, Vaikom. He had a group of like-minded friends, which included Anand Menen, who went on direct Gouthamante Radham and Vaazha – Biopic of a Billion Boys. “I am comfortable in front of the camera because it has been a part of life since I was in school. Also, I have always worked with my friends and so there is no stress or fear when I act.”

Actor Sandeep Pradeep
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After completing his Plus 2, he studied VFX in Bengaluru since his family wanted him to learn something that might help him find a job. “I joined the course hoping that I would get to do something in movies if not acting.” He continued to act while pursuing the course and later when he worked as a VFX artist with an MNC in Bengaluru.

Among his notable shorts is Anand’s Shanthi Muhurtham and Nithish Sahadev’s Magneto. He did a web series during the pandemic, Kalyana Kacheri, directed by Anand, which was loved by viewers.

Actor Sandeep Pradeep
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Commenting on his new project with the Kishkindha Kaandam team, Sandeep says, “I am not allowed to say anything about that film. I feel it is a new attempt in Malayalam cinema. When I met them, Bahul chettan (Bahul Ramesh, scriptwriter and cinematographer) said, ‘I don’t know how to narrate the story. So you just read it.’ I was floored by what I read. We have seen his brilliance as a writer in Kishkindha Kaandam. For me, the excitement lies in working with the team behind such a terrific film.”

In Padakkalam, releasing on May 8, he is playing an engineering student, Jithin. “It is a fun movie with some fantasy elements thrown in.” Also in the cast are Arun Pradeep, Arun Ajikumar and Saaf Boi.