Arun Cherukavil

Arun Cherukavil isn’t exactly your Bollywood poster boy, but if you’re into Malayalam cinema, you’ve probably stumbled across his face at least once. His name pops up in “4 the People,” that 2004 vigilante flick where a bunch of engineering students decide they’re done waiting for justice and take matters into their own hands. Arun plays one of those guys—young, angry, and honestly, just fed up with the system. The movie got people talking, spawning a couple of sequels, and even if the dance numbers were a little, uh, extra, you can’t deny it had a vibe. Fast-forward to 2008 and there’s “Of the People.” Yes, it’s a sequel, because apparently, four wasn’t enough. Arun’s back in the mix, and the story picks up right where the first one left off. The group’s out of jail, but society hasn’t exactly rolled out the welcome mat. Instead, they’re tossed into a mess of corruption and bureaucracy, fighting the same old battles but with more scars and, let’s be real, fewer illusions. Then you’ve got “Driving Licence” in 2019. This one’s not a sequel but a whole new ball game. Arun isn’t the main guy here, but his character’s got that local flavor—someone caught in the whirlwind between a superstar actor and a die-hard fan, all because of a missing driving licence. The drama is intense, sometimes ridiculous, but always entertaining. Arun might not chew the scenery, but he nails those supporting roles, grounding the chaos with a touch of reality.