PRATIK GANDHI

HIS NUANCED PORTRAYAL OF THE EPONYMOUS STOCK MARKET MANIPULATOR IN SCAM 1992: THE HARSHAD MEHTA STORY WAS AT THE HEART OF THE SHOW’S MASSIVE SUCCESS

- JIGAR SHAH

When Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story released in October 2020, people described Pratik Gandhi as an overnight success. This reminds me of a Lionel Messi quote about him being an overnight success. It took me 17 years and 114 days to become an overnight success. Pratik Gandhi's story is no different. He has been active in Gujarati theater and films for nearly 15 years. He came to be known nationwide only after Scam 1992. His daughter made an interesting observation after a number of people meeting Gandhi said they were proud of him. One day, she innocently asked, Why are they saying this to you? He replied that they were reacting to his new web series. Her counterargument was, So what? You have been working on stage for so long. Haven't they seen your plays? Gandhi smiled.

His journey from the unknown to being known has been impressive. He reminisces, In the beginning, when I used to approach people for work or for PR, they did not take me seriously, or would give unsolicited advice. I knew that no one would be interested in me until I create my own success story. The entire world operates in the same way, and there's nothing to feel bad about. Today, the media is abuzz with Gandhi signing Hindi films with some reputed names.