Actor-filmmaker Pradeep Ranganathan, who rose to fame with his sophomore directorial, Love Today (2022), has often found himself compared to actor Dhanush ever since his acting debut. As he gears up for the release of his upcoming film, Dude, directed by Keerthiswaran, Pradeep finally addressed the ongoing chatter about his supposed resemblance to the National Award-winning actor.

During a recent press meet in Hyderabad, Pradeep was asked if he was intentionally trying to imitate Dhanush’s performance style. Laughing off the question, he said, “The thing is that it is not a very conscious effort to do like that or something. Maybe because of the body resemblance, because I’m thin and all, there might be some resemblance, or due to the face cut or something. But I don’t believe in it.”

Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Pradeep has faced such comparisons. Earlier this year, while promoting his fantasy comedy Dragon, he had reacted similarly, saying, “I have been hearing this. I am not trying to imitate or something. Maybe because of my physique or face cut, it can be. But that’s it. I don’t know if it’s a plus or minus. When I see the mirror, I just see myself.”

Back then, Dragon director Ashwath Marimuthu also came to his defence, saying, “Pradeep Ranganathan is Pradeep Ranganathan. I don’t see the actor you’re telling me about.”

Pradeep was last seen in Dragon earlier this year. In Dude,he is set to be seen opposite Mamitha Baiju. The film is gearing up for a release in theatres on October 17 for Deepavali. He is also part of Vignesh Shivan’s upcoming romantic comedy LIK alongside Krithi Shetty and SJ Suryah.