Unless you’ve been living under a rock this past year or have taken social distancing so seriously that you’ve gone off all social media, you’ve heard of Pratik Gandhi. Gandhi shot to stratospheric fame when he starred in Hansal Mehta’s Scam 1992 which was based on the dreadful Harshad Mehta scam which was unraveled by journalist Sucheta Dalal. So powerful was Gandhi’s performance that when Abhishek Bachchan starred in The Big Bull recently, his brilliant performance didn’t stand a chance with the masses because when people think of scams and the Bombay Stock Exchange these days, they think of Pratik Gandhi’s Scam 1992. However, as the saying goes, there is nothing called overnight success. Gandhi had to face innumerable obstacles before he reached where he is today.
“After graduating, I moved to Bombay–for 4 years I worked on a project basis so that I could act. But there’d be months with no income. So, I did odd jobs like installing TV towers and anchoring. But then the 2006 Surat floods took our home. My family came to Bombay and the 4 of us stayed in a 1RK; after I got married, 5 of us were in that tiny space. So I took up a full-time job. Still, I’d rehearse for 2 hours before work & after, I’d do plays. I did this for 6 years,” he told Humans of Bombay.
“Then finally, I got a role in a Gujarati film! So, I took a 22-day leave from work for the shoot. At times, right after my shot, I’d get on a work call. After the shoot, I went back to work. I wasn’t even there for the promotions. I did some Hindi films and web series, but I got my big break when I got a call from Hansal Mehta’s team. I was shortlisted for Harshad Mehta’s role in SonyLIV’s Scam 1992! I jumped in feet first–from watching older news clippings of him to studying the stock market, I did it all. And then, the show released…” he added.
Gandhi’s story is proof that handwork and talent does pay off, even if it does take a while.
[Image Credit: Pratik Gandhi]
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