As his upcoming film Dude gears up for its Diwali release on October 17, actor and director Pradeep Ranganathan has once again found himself at the center of an unexpected conversation, this time, about body shaming and beauty standards in cinema.
The Love Today star, who has steadily built a loyal audience for his relatable, grounded persona, was asked during a Telugu media interaction how he handles comments questioning whether he looks “hero material.”
“I honestly don’t feel bad when I am asked such questions,” Pradeep said. “I will tell you why, because I’ve been hearing this since childhood. Kids used to say I look thin, dark… even during Love Today, I was bullied on stage. If you buy a new shirt and it gets stained for the first time, you’ll feel bad. But my shirt is full of stains now.”
The anchor who asked the question noted, “I can see the pain in your eyes.”
To that, Pradeep replied with a faint smile: “It’s fine, sir. Now even common people are heroes. They see themselves in me.”
His words reflect a quiet defiance against the long-standing stereotypes that have shaped Indian cinema’s definition of a “hero.” In an industry that has often celebrated fair skin, gym-toned physiques, and conventional glamour, Pradeep’s rise represents something more grounded — a shift towards characters and faces that mirror the audience watching them.
The conversation began when another journalist bluntly told Pradeep, “You don’t look like hero material. But you seem to have a big fan following despite doing just a few films. Would you attribute that to hard work or luck?”
Before Pradeep could respond, his co-star in Dude, veteran actor R. Sarath Kumar, jumped in to defend him. “You cannot say from A to Z who is hero material,” he said firmly. “Everybody here is hero material. There’s no specification for it. A person who is doing any act that benefits society is a hero.”
Directed by debutant Keerthishwaran, Dude stars Pradeep Ranganathan and Mamitha Baiju in lead roles, with Sarath Kumar, Hridhu Haroon, Rohini, Aishwarya Sharma, and Dravid Selvam in supporting parts. The music is composed by Sai Abhyankkar. With the film releasing this Diwali, audiences seem ready for a new kind of hero — one who looks like the world they live in, not the fantasy they escape to.
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