Pratik Gandhi has done several successful Gujarati plays. He was included in the Limca Book of Records for performing the play Mohan’s Masala in three languages – Hindi, English, and Gujarati on the same day. His Gujarati film Wrong Side Raju went on to win the National Award for the Best Gujarati film. But it was 2020’s Hindi web series Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, which turned him into a household name.
Still, every once in a while, someone comes up to ask him about his ‘overnight stardom’. Pratik admits that it did feel strange in the initial days. “People would say things like ‘beginner’s luck’ or ‘aapne toh pehli ball mein chakka maar diya’. But then I realised that I have done mostly regional theatre and films and Scam is probably the only show that a lot of people have seen me in. Many of them ask me, ‘kahaan they ab tak?’ I tell them, ‘main yahin tha. Aapne mujhe abhi dekha hai’,” he says with a laugh.
Pratik’s performance in the web series became one of the most talked-about roles of last year, but the actor has had little time to reflect on its success. He talks to TMM about life after Scam.
Have you finally got the time to enjoy the success of the show?
It feels good that people loved the show and it reached such a large audience. That is a very satisfying thought. But I never really got the time to reflect and think about whatever happened. Right from the day the show went on air, I have been doing almost six interviews a day. A lot of things worked for the show, right from the timing, to the content – all the departments excelled at their work. It is one of those events in life where everything falls in place and goes beyond your imagination.
2021 has been such a significant year in so many ways for many people. How are you going to look at it ten years from now?
It’s going to be with a lot of gratitude. Of course, the biggest event that happened in my life is Scam, so career-wise this is a milestone year for me. Apart from that, my entire family tested positive for COVID in July. My brother was hospitalized. It was a very scary situation but we all came out fine. That filled me with a lot of gratitude. A lot of people prayed for us and helped us. I’m sure people are experiencing multiple things but I have always seen the positive side.
Director Hansal Mehta has directed beautiful movies such as Shahid and Aligarh. What was your biggest takeaway after working with him?
I always say that he is an actor’s director. He puts so much faith in you and lets you explore the character. Only a very secure, mature, and brave director will let you do that. He is someone who really believes that cinema is a collaborative process. At the end of it, he still manages to achieve the vision he has in his head. Everyone who works on the project has different visuals in their head, and to put them together and achieve what he wants is a different level of art. He is so calm and composed, probably the coolest director I have ever worked with. He is completely driven by passion and is such a down to earth man. Now, it doesn’t matter what the project is or what he calls me for, I will go for it.
How did you manage to approach the character of Harshad Mehta from a neutral point of view and humanize him?
I didn’t think much about it. That is how I wanted to approach it. Also, my theatre experience helped me a lot. In my play Mohan’s Masala too, the approach was similar. The Mahatma was the Mahatma. But when I talk about Mohan, Mohan has to be clueless and innocent and that should come across. It’s a very internal process.
After Scam, what is the biggest change you have seen in people around you?
People have started taking me seriously, even in the mainstream. Earlier, I would be approached to do smaller roles or be called for shoots that would last four days or so. Now, they want to narrate the script and are offering me roles for lead protagonists. People have started trusting that this guy will be able to pull it off. I guess the audience also helped me. When they accept you, makers are also ready to experiment with you.
How is your family enjoying this success of yours?
I feel my entire family has put their blood and sweat into this. It’s been a collective will. The only thing I miss today is my father. He always wanted me to be an actor and was one of my biggest supports. He would tell me to leave my job and get into acting full time. I used to be the one holding myself back. He has celebrated even the smallest of my achievements and it’s his blessings that have made me reach this point.
The audience loved Scam but what are the shows that you enjoyed watching during the lockdown?
I loved watching Panchayat, Patal Lok, and Pushpavalli. I like the kind of experiments the makers have done with these shows. I don’t like shows that have unnecessary violence and abusive language.
What’s in the pipeline?
I had finished shooting for a Hindi film Raavan Leela before Scam. I’m playing the lead in it. Then I have a Gujarati film called Harana. There are also a couple of Hindi films and web series that I am in discussion for now. The OTT has been a very interesting space for writers, makers, and actors. There are no set formulas for storytelling, character graphs or length of the episode. It’s a very exciting space.
What are your hopes from this year?
I believe things will change for the better and the world will be a good, happy place once again. What goes down has to come up. That has to come true.
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