Finding Fame

It’s been a year since Scam 1992 released, and Pratik Gandhi became a star overnight. Well, almost — technically it was 14 years and a night. But how is the theatre veteran, who has made his Bollywood movie debut, coping with the newfound fame?

- Ananya Ghosh

Pratik Gandhi, the breakout star of 2020, is on a roll. In October last year, he grabbed eyeballs with his stunning performance as the controversial Harshad Mehta — the madcap wheeler-dealer who became the ‘Big Bull’ of Mumbai’s Dalal Street — in Hansal Mehta’s critically acclaimed 10 episode series, Scam 1992.

Gandhi’s first Bollywood movie as a lead, Bhavai, released in October. His next, Dedh Bigha Zameen, another collaboration with his Scam director Hansal Mehta, is almost ready, and he is prepping for Roy Kapur films’ Woh Ladki Hai Kahan?, which will see him share screen space with Tapsee Pannu.

“People often tell me that it’s an overnight success. But if that is so, then my night must have lasted for 14 years, because it has taken me 14 years to reach this point,” smiles Gandhi, as we settle down for this interview. The actor, a popular name in Gujarati theatre and cinema, started his career in 2005, and saw his first commercial success with the 2014 Gujarati film, Bey Yaar. Two years later came Wrong Side Raju, another Gujarati film that went on to bag a National Award. However, the Scam star has no qualms about getting such recognition this late in his career. “I feel extremely lucky that it took me so much time. It taught me, helped me evolve as an actor, and prepared me for this day,” says Gandhi, who had come to Mumbai in 2004, armed with an engineering degree and a few years of solid acting experience in Gujarati theatre. “I had a twin aim — to get a job and to do theatre,” he quips.