STILL HUNGRY STILL FOOLISH

PRATIK GANDHI SPEAKS TO SRIJANI ROY CHOWDHURY ABOUT HIS GENESIS AS AN ACTOR AND SUBSEQUENT GROWTH

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Crunching numbers and hopping from one meeting to another might have been his 9-to-5 once upon a time but now Pratik Gandhi is all about expressing emotions and being on film sets. From pole-dancing like a dream in Dhoom Dhaam, teaching Tom Felton how to make khichdi to slipping into the shoes of legends like Jyotirao Phule and Mahatma Gandhi, he’s done it all. And somehow he's made it look easy. He may have hit the headlines with Scam 1992 but he’s quick to tell you that success didn't come overnight. It was years of hard work that finally paid off. As we talk, he seems in a good mood. He shares some more as the conversation continues. He talks about his struggles, juggling multiple jobs, the times he was rejected at auditions... And of course, about his wife Bhamini Oza. Excerpts:

You shot some hard-hitting scenes in Phule. Were they difficult to film?

You have to understand, the film portrays a time when caste discrimination was deeply ingrained in everyday life. For Mahatma Phule and Savitribai, this wasn’t just an issue, they lived through it every single day. That realisation hits you hard. And that impact naturally translated into our performances, the dialogues and the overall tone of the film. While we were performing, we had to avoid making it overly dramatic or heavy-handed. For them, it was simply the reality of their lives, one they constantly stood up against.

Where was the Phule shot? Were there any historic locations?

We filmed it across the Bhor-Satara region, which still retains much of its old architecture. That authenticity in the surroundings added a great deal of depth and realism to the film’s atmosphere.

How do you prepare as an actor for roles like Phule or Gandhi