Actor Sandeep Pradeep: ‘Alappuzha Gymkhana’ made me physically and mentally strong

Sandeep Pradeep has become a name to reckon with post Alappuzha Gymkhana and is all set to play in new project of Kishkindha Kaandam team

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.

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 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.”