He made his breakthrough by playing Osama Bin Laden in hit "Tere Bin Laden" but actor Pradhuman says he struggled to find work despite getting critical acclaim for his role.
The actor is back in the role of Noora, a look-alike of Osama- in the sequel, "Tere Bin Laden- Dead or Alive".
When asked if there was any pressure, Pradhuman said, "There always is... Problem with actors who are not from the industry is that we can't falter. If we do, then we have to start all over again. If I do one bad film I am out of the scene, it's difficult then to climb back to what I had."
The actor said he was appreciated by the "honchos of the industry" and thought he was sorted but the struggle was just beginning for him.
"There was not much work. I said yes to 95 per cent of films but some of them never took off and I was terrible in others. I had to take those films because of desperate times.
"I then did a film called 'Dilliwali Zaalim Girlfriend'. Though it tanked at the box office, I am thankful to it because it cleared a lot of my debts. 2013 was the year of respite in my life, I was literally laughing and crying in my room because I had some amount of money in my bank account which was dry for the longest time," he told PTI.
Pradhuman now hopes that people recognise the "man behind the beard" with his upcoming film.
"There is a constant struggle, people don't know who is the guy behind the beard. Everybody loves Noora and I am grateful for that. But I hope people recognise the man behind the beard."
Directed by Abhishek Sharma, "Tere Bin Laden- Dead or Alive" also stars Manish Paul. The film is scheduled to release on February 19.
