Pratik Gandhi: ‘As an actor, I am on an exploration journey and there are bound to be failures’

The true-to-life, relatable and natural performances that the Wrong Side Raju actor delivered in Scam 1992, Shimmy, Bhavai, among others stems from a myriad of experiences that he has in different fields. Coming to Mumbai from Surat in 2004 with an engineering degree and an empty pocket, Pratik took up anything and everything that came his way, such as water tank cleaning, installing mobile towers, or being an entertainer at birthday and kitty parties. With his lips curving in a smile at recalling these experiences, Gandhi shares, “To continue my theatre, I started searching for jobs. I quite enjoyed all of it, especially entertaining people in various parties because it challenged me as a performer. How do you hold the audience without a script? I learnt that just your voice command can do magic. For around five years, I used to do at least a minimum of 15-20 shows a month.”

Still finding his ground in Mumbai, Pratik’s need to have financial security increased when his family had to shift to Mumbai with him after the floods in Surat in 2006. To be able to hold his own even when life became unkind, the source of strength for Pratik came from the realms of spirituality, which has seen him through his lowest phases. Even when his career is at its zenith, it is spirituality which guides his mindset while approaching stories and characters.

“Acting has always been a spiritual journey for me. I am a firm believer that there are energies which are working towards any and everything. In order to get into the character’s thought process, I have to get that energy inside me to create that character’s world, and make it believable for the audience. The moment you think like this you are much beyond all the burdens and pressures. It helps you recreate fresh perspectives every day.”

Even as he found solace and a sense of home in his creative being, for Pratik it was never just acting which provided him contentment. “I have multiple passion disorder,” he admits with a tone that hints at mirth. Such was his commitment towards acting and engineering that for more than a decade he juggled both the things. In between, the thespian did Gujarati films which became game-changers in Gujarati cinema such as Bey Yaar (2014), and National Award-winning movie Wrong Side Raju (2016) .

Coming from a background where ‘art’ was just as important as academics, Pratik’s inclination towards it was only natural for his family, who whole-heartedly supported his decision to pursue acting. “I come from a teacher’s family but everyone in my family is an artist. From childhood I was acquainted with Shastriya sangeet, haveli sangeet, Bharatnatyam, instruments like tabla, pakhawaj etc. I took the love for the performing arts from my father. I’ve learned tabla and dance from him. However, I’m the first one in my family who has a full-time profession as an artist.”

While the Hindi-speaking audience lauded his performance in Scam 1992, some of his later projects could not receive the same kind of response. “I’m in the business of experiments and they might not work sometimes. But that can’t stop me from experimenting. I can’t look Harshad Mehta in all the projects that I do, because that’s what people love. If I do that, I’ll become my own destroyer as the audience will eventually get bored of seeing the same thing. As an actor, I want to explore and the moment you are on the exploration journey, there are bound to be certain failures.”

Three years since Scam 1992, it is only because of his unassuming personality and sublime acting skills, that the higher-ups in the industry couldn’t box him into any type of role, opening up a sea of genres for him. Pratik Gandhi will next be seen as Mahatma Gandhi and Jyotiba Phule in two separate projects, apart from Woh Ladki Hai Kahan with Taapsee Pannu, a thriller with Yami Gautam (Dhoom Dhaam) and a rom-com with Vidya Balan and Ileana D’Cruz.

“I don’t get into mimicking the real-life characters that I’m performing. The moment you start mimicking you take the soul out of it. I want to touch upon their psychological side, the way they used to think. And if I get it right, the audience will not mind if I perform Mahatma Gandhi with a beard because you as an audience will start seeing beyond it,” Pratik shares on playing real-life characters.

Aware of the trappings of the glamour industry, of late Pratik has been seeking refuge in meditation to see things for what they are, in order to avoid pretentiousness at all costs. “I am a novice in meditation. As I told you, I get passionate about multiple things, so it’s difficult for me to close my eyes and sit for two minutes. I am trying really hard to work on it.”