Alappuzha Gymkhana actor Sandeep Pradeep on whether trolls affected his bond with Naslen

Sandeep Pradeep is among the new crop of Malayalam actors who has been hogging much attention these days, thanks to two of his latest releases – Naslen-starrer Alappuzha Gymkhana and Padakkalam. But as Padakklam started getting more traction online, it led to online discussions and trolls that Sandeep could pose a challenge to Naslen, who has already established himself as a young Malayalam star with Premalu.
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Naslen leads the 2025 Malayalam film Alappuzha Gymkhana, which features Sandeep Pradeep as his friend Valuth Sharif.
In a recent chat with The Cue Studio, Sandeep addressed the trolls that drew comparisons with the two young actors. Reacting to this, Sandeep said that there are a lot of such discussions on social media, but he doesn't delve too much into it.
Explaining further, 'Naslen is a very popular star, and he has been around for quite some time now. I just came now. When a new person comes in, it would naturally lead to comparisons.'
Naslen, who made a mark with his debut as a schoolboy in Thanneer Mathan Dinangal, went on to do notable roles in films such as Home before catapulating to fame with Premalu, which also starred Mamitha Baiju. Reacting to his Alappuzha Gymkhana star's popularity, Sandeep said, 'Naslen is in the frontline of heroes in the teenage category. After that only, we all came. I hope more people come. Anyways, our friendship hasn't been affected in any way because of all this.'
Sandeep Pradeep joined Naslen in director Khalid Rahman's film, Alappuzha Gymkhana, a buddy sports comedy. The film revolves around Jojo (Naslen) who along with his friends try to secure college admission by participating in sports competition after failing in their plus-two exams. You can stream Alappuzha Gymkhana on SonyLiv and OTTplay Premium in multiple languages, including Hindi.
Sandeep also played one of the lead roles in Padakkalam, which also featured Malayalam actors Suraj Venjaramoodu, and Sharaf U Dheen. The film, which weaves in fantasy elements, is streaming on JioHotstar.

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