But following this dream wasn’t simple. His family had financial concerns and, like many, doubted the slim chances of making it big in cinema.

“The success rate for becoming an actor is very low. So during that time, my family had that concern. We weren’t that financially sound, so they had that fear.”

Still, his parents allowed him to explore short films, with one firm condition, that he shouldn’t opt for a film course after Class 12. So, Sandeep chose VFX studies in Bangalore something close enough to cinema. While studying, he continued acting in short films on the side.

His first short film came out when he was still in Class 10. Titled Story, Screenplay and Dialogue, it was the beginning of something special. In school, only two boys dreamed of entering cinema Sandeep and his friend Anand Menen, who is now the director of Vaazha.

“There was a mutual understanding between us he wants direction and I want to act. That’s how we started with short films. He would direct and I would act.”

They formed a gang with Anand’s classmates during holidays and named it Lumier Broz. They made short films during vacations. Even when feedback wasn’t encouraging, they weren’t disheartened.

“Even if we got bad responses from some, we didn’t feel down. We wanted to improve. So we were doing again and again.”

Sandeep auditioned for many films, and eventually, his first feature film Pathinettam Padi happened through one such audition.

Along the journey, one of their short films Shanti Muhurtham went viral. This became a turning point. The visibility he gained brought him closer to industry insiders.

“Then I started to build more connections, and during that time, Falimy director Nithish Sahadev contacted me after watching the short film Shanti Muhurtham. Falimy was my breakthrough into the industry.”

Sandeep credits short films as the foundation for everything.

“Everything was going like a process, and short films were the base to all.”

Alappuzha Gymkhana, directed by Khalid Rahman, marked an important phase in Sandeep’s acting journey. Known for his raw, grounded storytelling and strong ensemble casts, Rahman brought together a tight-knit group of actors for this project and for Sandeep, it was a dream come true.