R Amarendran's foray into film acting started in 2008 when he landed the main villain's role in the movie Bale Pandiya directed by Siddharth Chandrasekhar a first-time director. Initially taken on as a script consultant and writer for the film he was later on offered the role of AKP - a hit man. Due to the success of the role he was offered various off-beat roles with negative shades. He has acted in the Tamil movies Andhra Mess, Vidyum Munn, Jil Jung Juk, and most recently in the blockbuster Tamil movie Kabali.He has played the role of a history teacher in the Internationally acclaimed Hollywood film Life of Pi directed by Ang Lee.