Decoding Pratik Gandhi's recipe for success

The Hindu

8 hours ago

With Gandhi in the Toronto International Film Festival and Saare Jahan Se Accha on Netflix, Pratik Gandhi is fast emerging as the new chameleon in the film world. From playing Harshad Mehta to Mahatma Gandhi and Jyotiba Phule in between, his versatility is quietly making a statement.
'I love human drama. I like exploring different mindsets without judging them,' says Pratik as he stirs his black coffee at a hotel in central Delhi. 'One angle of their lives is known to the world. What is not known to even their family is what was happening in their minds when they were busy changing the world around them. That is the area I want to explore,' he explains.
Each biopic presents a unique challenge. With Phule, there was just one photo for reference. In Gandhi, there is a problem of plenty. 'It works both ways. If there were more photographs, I would have to put in more physical effort to look like Phule. I worked on his emotions to make the audience believe in my reflection of Phule. With Gandhi, I didn't want to mimic him. Even with numerous videos and photos, my job is to make you believe, at the 40th or 50th second, that this is Gandhi. It required a little more preparation on my part.'
Unconcerned about comparisons with Ben Kingsley and Rajit Kapoor, Pratik says that his theatre background, where he played a young, ordinary Gandhi in Mohan's Masala (Mohan's Recipe), helped shape the character, apart from director Hansal Mehta, with whom it is his fourth project. 'Our bond is such that we can talk without exchanging a word,' says Pratik, adding that an actor carries a bit of writer in him by default.
'Theatre practice brings you close to literature. I can't write on blank paper, but I rewrite what is given to me during the rehearsal process. I constantly check the metre of my dialogue. Here, understanding the nuances of the language is helpful. By using the synonym of a word, an actor can increase the depth of the dialogue.'
In Saare Jahan Se Accha, where he has joined hands with director Sumit Purohit, who wrote Scam 1992, Pratik states that the biggest challenge he faced was creating a real-world spy, Vishnu Shankar, posted in Pakistan. 'Spies are supposed to be common guys who don't seek unnecessary attention, living far away from glamour. What we usually see on screen is the opposite. So I had to unlearn the image of a spy in my mind. We have worked on both the behavioural and visual aspects to create a world of the 1970s, an important decade in our history. The lives of spies is all about getting information and communication, but there were no mobiles, and computers were hardly there.'
Pratik loved projecting the constant moral dilemma of Vishnu and likes the fact that his Pakistani counterpart, played by Sunny Hinduja, is equally conflicted. 'Vishnu's means may be right for achieving a bigger purpose, but while working towards the goal, he is doing something wrong to those close to him, including his wife, colleagues, and friends. He is doing something big but can't share it with anyone. I get attracted to these complexities, peculiarities, and pressures that a character goes through because it becomes challenging to process and translate to the audience.'
Having worked in an engineering job until 2016, Pratik has also juggled family life, his passion for acting, and making ends meet in a challenging world. 'My dilemma was selfish, and if I extrapolate it to Vishnu's dilemma, that is also selfish, but in his mind, he is not being self-seeking because he is doing it for the country. In my case, I was doing it for myself. However, I completely understand the emotion. The constant feeling of guilt is complicated to manage. Ghar par time nahin de pa rahe (Not able to spend time at home), have to manage office as well as rehearsals, whatever reason you might give, you feel a sense of guilt.'
What makes Pratik different from his contemporaries is that, with craft, he has lived life. 'When Scam 1992 happened to me, I used to cry that I am getting the chance at 40, but later I thanked God that it happened at 40 because till then I could gather life experiences which helped me profoundly process complex emotions.'
But being discovered late by filmmakers limits the options for playing certain parts. 'Yes, I may not fit a college-going character, but if you bring a script, pass kar jayenge (I will pass),' grins Pratik. He reminds me of the lighter parts he played in Madgaon Express and Do Aur Do Pyaar. 'Theatre prepares you to play both raja and vidushak (king and clown) and everything in between.'
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But the 'unstructured' film industry has its queer ways. 'I was outrightly rejected by television. I am told that I don't look a conventional hero. Should I take this as a compliment?' asks Pratik with a chuckle
In an interview with this journalist, Phule director Anant Mahadevan described Pratik as the new Sanjeev Kumar. Strangely, not many mainstream actors come from Gujarat. 'When I was starting out, we were told that Gujarati actors don't make it big in Hindi cinema because people could smell the Gujarati in their diction. Apart from Sanjeev Kumar, we don't have many mainstream actors from the State. Paresh Rawal made it big as a supporting actor. However, when I came to Mumbai, I realised that those who come from Punjab also sound Punjabi, but they have been accepted as part of the mainstream. I guess OTT has bridged this gap. Now the linguistic flavours don't bother anybody.'
Saare Jahan Se Accha will be streaming on Netflix from August 13.