Aspired for music, landed in acting: Arun Pradeep with Mohanlal in Hridayapoorvam
Arun Pradeep chose music as his path to enter the film industry, but eventually arrived as an actor. He played a key role in the movie Padakkalam, which is currently running in theatres. His full-length character in the film has received much appreciation. Arun Pradeep hails from Pattazhimukku in Ezhamkulam. From his school days, he carried the dream of cinema within him and worked hard for it. However, the opportunities that came his way were all unexpected. In Arun’s own words, it was the power of social media that opened the doors to the film industry for him.
A Start in Music
He initially chose music as his route to enter cinema. He began by writing his own lyrics, composing music, and releasing album songs—mostly in English. At one point, one of his songs was also broadcast on a US online radio station. He was active in creating TikTok videos. However, none of these brought him into the cinema world.
Sketch Videos during Covid times
It was after attending a meetup of online content creators, just before the COVID era, that Arun decided to shift gears. There, he realised the kind of acceptance and appreciation received by those who presented their own original content. He turned towards sketch videos. He started off on TikTok and later became active on YouTube Shorts.
It was during the COVID period that Arun’s sketch videos gained huge reach. At the same time, he was working as a sound engineer at a studio in Kayamkulam. It was there he met Anu from the Karikku team. That connection eventually led him to appear in a Karikku video.
A Movie with Mohanlal
It was through his content videos that Arun got the call for the film Saturday Night. This was followed by roles in Perilloor Premier League, Lovely, and Original. Padakkalam is his fifth film. Arun is currently overwhelmed at the opportunity to act alongside Mohanlal in the film Hridayapoorvam. He is set to act in a film directed by Nadirshah.
Arun is son of Dr R Pradeep of Kodumon Nagarjuna Ayurveda and R Bindu, a teacher at Kaippattoor Government Higher Secondary School.
Wife: Dhanya Dhanapalan.
Sister: Namitha Pradeep.