Pratik Gandhi: The audience is no longer chasing stars

A still from Scam 1992

Every once in a while, a talent emerges out of the oblivion, ready to hustle his way to the top and claim his share of the spotlight in an industry that is criticised for being nepotistic. The find of 2020 was Pratik Gandhi - a talent too rare to be ignored, a performance too powerful to be forgotten soon. His act in Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story has earned him fame, acting offers from Bollywood, and more recently, a nomination in the Best Actor (Series) category at the mid-day and Radio City Hitlist OTT Awards. "While shooting for the series, I was sure that we were on to something big. But, I had never thought it would take the country by storm," he says.

The engineer-turned-actor had been dabbling in theatre since 2005 before graduating to Gujarati cinema. With a mainstream Hindi offering in the Hansal Mehta-directed series, he found himself commanding the attention of a pan-India audience. "The web has created a new [avenue] for actors like us. Now, the audience is looking for actors who can create different characters; they are no longer chasing stars. If you see the nominees in the best actor category across different award galas, you will notice that there are no [famous] last names."

He acknowledges that filmmakers' approach towards him has changed, too. "I am being approached for mainstream films and web series. I am being considered seriously as an actor. I have learnt through experience that nobody is interested in your struggles; they are only interested in your success," reflects Gandhi, adding that the audience love makes all the difference. "I am currently shooting in Gir forest. I had never thought people here would have watched the series. But they recognised me, and the kids know the show's dialogues."

Cast your vote for the Hitlist OTT Awards
Pratik Gandhi has been nominated in the Best Actor (Male): Series category for Scam 1992. The other nominees are:
>> Divyenndu Sharma: Mirzapur 2 (Amazon Prime Video)
>> Jaideep Ahlawat: Paatal Lok (Amazon Prime Video)
>> Jitendra Kumar: Panchayat (Amazon Prime Video)
>> Kay Kay Menon: Special Ops (Disney+Hotstar)
>> Sunny Kaushal: The Forgotten Army (Amazon Prime Video)
Log on to www.hitlistottawards.com to cast your vote.
You can also vote via SMS. Send HITLIST <space> category name <space> your choice (a/b/c as on the website) to 57575.
Voting lines close on February 9.

Did you know?
Hansal Mehta offered Gandhi the lead role after watching his performances in Gujarati films Bey Yaar (2014) and Wrong Side Raju (2016)