HAVING FINALLY ARRIVED

Fresh off the success of web series Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, actor Pratik Gandhi talks about how he suffers a “multiple passion disorder”—how he wants to now do many things

- Suhani Singh

Has your phone been busier than ever post Scam 1992? What kind of offers have come your way?

Oh, yes! After Scam, my phone has been buzzing non-stop with lots of messages and calls. The best part is that many are good offers for mainstream Bollywood films or web series or even brands. There’s some interesting content coming my way. It’s an exciting time.

You have won multiple awards for your performance. Did you imagine the series would enjoy this much success?

The one thing I was sure of was that we were on to something really good, something we will be proud of. None of us had thought that it’d be so big that it would change lives, like it has mine. It was not my first project, but in Hindi mainstream, it was my biggest. Before that, I was only the hero’s friend in projects like Mitron and Loveyatri.

It has taken you a while to find a break like Scam …

I had been trying to get something better in Hindi cinema for a long time, but I had no idea about who to meet or where and how I could meet them. The only route I knew was to audition for the part. It took me time to understand that leading roles aren’t cast through auditions. I realised I needed to be a part of a writer’s and director’s mind to be their first choice. To reach that level, however, I had to prove myself. For that, I needed a break. It was a vicious cycle which kept going.

Now that you’ve established yourself, is there pressure to be more judicious with what you do next?

I felt this pressure for five days after