Pradeep Ranganathan is an Indian film director and actor from Chennai, who works predominantly in Tamil cinema.[2] He is known for directing Comali (2019) and Love Today (2022).[3][4][5] He debuted as a lead actor through Love Today.[6] He also runs a Youtube channel which has over 5 lakh subscribers.[7]

Pradeep Ranganathan
Occupations
  • Film director
  • actor
Years active2019–present
Known for
YouTube information
Channel
Subscribers582,000 Edit this at Wikidata[1]
(January 2024)

Career edit

He began his career by making several short films including Whatsapp Kadhal (2015) and he used to multi-task by doing acting, editing and directing.[8] He received his first feature film directorial debut opportunity from Jayam Ravi and Vels International who were impressed after watching some of his short films.[9]

He made his directorial debut with Comali in 2019 which starred Jayam Ravi and Kajal Aggarwal and the film became a commercial success at the box office. Pradeep Ranganathan also eventually made a cameo appearance during the climax portion of Comali.[10] He was the subject of controversy before the theatrical release of Comali as Rajinikanth's fans demanded the film to be boycotted due to the depiction of the flashback of Rajinikanth where he promised to enter the politics in 1996 being mentioned in a portion of the film trailer.[11][12] It was also a major talking point and highlight in the trailer of the film. The scene was subsequently removed from the film following the backlash.[13]

In an interview, he had revealed that he took inspiration from the 1985 American science fiction film, Back to the Future, which he first saw the film as a kid on television as a dubbed version.[14] He usually refers to Back to the Future whenever he begin working on his films. He also revealed that he takes notes from the Hindi filmmaker, Rajkumar Hirani, especially crediting his two most popular films, Munna Bhai MBBS (2003) and 3 Idiots (2009).[14]

His second directorial venture, Love Today (2022) was based on his short film App(a) Lock and was a modest small budgeted theatrical release in Tamil Nadu. However, upon release, it became an instant blockbuster and surpassed expectations.[15][16][17] Ranganathan rose to prominence and became an overnight sensation with Love Today. He also made his full-fledged acting debut with the film, playing the main male lead.[18][9] He later revealed that Love Today is a reflection of some of his past personal life memories indicating the film as a sweet dedication to his ex-girlfriend instead of being a revenge film.[19][4]

Filmography edit

Key
Denotes films that have not yet been released

As director, writer, and actor edit

Year Title Director Writer Actor Role Notes Ref.
2019 Comali Yes Yes Yes Cameo as auto driver Joseph Won—SIIMA Awards for Best Debutant Director [20]
2022 Love Today Yes Yes Yes Uthaman Pradeep Won—SIIMA Award for Best Debut Actor [21]
TBA LIC: Love Insurance Corporation No Yes Yes TBA Filming [22][23]
TBA AGS Entertainment Production No. 26: PR 03 No No Yes TBA Announced [24]

References edit

  1. ^ "About Pradeep Ranganathan". YouTube.
  2. ^ "Director Pradeep Ranganathan to Play Lead in His Next Directorial Love Today". News18. Archived from the original on 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  3. ^ "Pradeep Ranganathan's film gets Vijay's film title". Times of India. Archived from the original on 2022-08-29. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  4. ^ a b "Love Today is not a revengeful romance; it's a sweet dedication to my ex-girlfriend: Pradeep Ranganathan". Times of India. Archived from the original on 2022-08-29. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  5. ^ "Director Pradeep Ranganathan: Dedicating Next Film To The Girl Who Left Me". Outlook India. Archived from the original on 2022-07-04. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  6. ^ "Love Today is a very close-to-heart film: Pradeep Ranganathan". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 2022-11-19. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  7. ^ "Pradeep Ranganathan - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  8. ^ "Tamil short film 'Whatsapp Kadhal' depicts a new trend in love". Times of India. Archived from the original on 2022-08-29. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  9. ^ a b "'Comali' director Pradeep Ranganathan to make his acting debut - The New Indian Express". www.newindianexpress.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-26. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  10. ^ "I've narrated a story to Vijay, confirms Love Today director Pradeep Ranganathan". The Indian Express. 2022-11-08. Archived from the original on 2022-12-26. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  11. ^ "Joke on Rajini sir wasn't morally wrong to me: 'Comali' director Pradeep intv". The News Minute. 2019-08-14. Archived from the original on 2022-12-26. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  12. ^ "Rajinikanth fans outrage as Comali trailer mocks Tamil superstar". Hindustan Times. 2019-08-04. Archived from the original on 2023-10-14. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  13. ^ S, Srivatsan (2019-08-05). "Controversial Rajinikanth scene will be removed: 'Comali' director Pradeep Ranganathan". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 2022-12-26. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  14. ^ a b "Films that Made Me - Pradeep Ranganathan: I follow Raj Kumar Hirani's formula". CinemaExpress. Archived from the original on 2022-12-26. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  15. ^ "Pradeep Ranganathan on Love Today success: 'Are the things I am hearing and seeing real?'". The Indian Express. 2022-11-09. Archived from the original on 2022-12-26. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  16. ^ "'Comali' director Pradeep Ranganathan to play the protagonist in his next film". Times of India. Archived from the original on 2022-08-29. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  17. ^ "Pradeep Ranganathan :பிரதீப் ரங்கநாதன் ஹீரோவாக நடித்துள்ள லவ் டுடே பட முதல் பாடல் வெளியிடு…!". Samayam. Archived from the original on 2022-08-29. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  18. ^ Chandar, Bhuvanesh (2022-11-03). "Tamil director Pradeep Ranganathan on 'Love Today', turning actor, and the evolving nature of romance". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 2022-12-26. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  19. ^ "Pradeep Ranganthan reveals that 'Love Today' has moments from his own life". The Times of India. November 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-12-26. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  20. ^ "'Soorari Pottru', 'Yajamana' Win Big At SIIMA Awards 2021". Outlook India. Archived from the original on 2022-08-29. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  21. ^ "SIIMA 2023: Pradeep Ranganathan wins the award for Best Debut Actor, Aditi Shankar takes home Best Debut Actress honor". The Times of India. September 17, 2023. Archived from the original on January 9, 2024. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  22. ^ "It's official! Vignesh Shivan to direct 'Love Today' star Pradeep Ranganathan". The Times of India. 2023-09-19. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2023-09-21. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  23. ^ "சரியான நேரத்துல என்னை காப்பாத்திட்டீங்க: 'லவ் டுடே' பிரதீப்புடன் கை கோர்த்த விக்னேஷ் சிவன்.!". Samayam Tamil (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 2023-10-06. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  24. ^ "Pradeep Ranganathan teams up with 'Love Today' makers; film to be directed by Ashwath Marimuthu". The Hindu. 2024-04-10. Retrieved 2024-04-10.

External links edit