Actor Pratik Gandhi impressed fans and critics alike with fame his performance as Harshad Mehta in the hit web series ‘Scam 1992’. The actor recalls his beginnings as an actor and says that now he feels less nervous and more excited when scripts get offered to him.
Before ‘Scam 1992’, Gandhi played small, supporting roles in Hindi films like ‘68 Pages’ (2007), ‘LoveYatri’ (2018) and ‘Mitron’ (2018).
He began his career in theatre and Gujarati films and started getting noticed only after his performance as Harshad Mehta. While talking to Times of India, he said, “After doing theatre in regional language, I took a plunge into Gujarati movies. By god’s grace my work received a lot of appreciation there. When it came to working in Hindi cinema, I could see that filmmakers were hesitant to cast me in lead roles.”
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“People did approach me, but for supporting characters. Producers and directors here thought that yes I was a good actor, but not a saleable face in Bollywood. So they offered supporting roles saying, ‘your character can cushion the main character and this way people will take notice of you as an actor. Like many other newbies I too thought of taking this route thinking it will help me break into mainstream Bollywood films as a lead hero. After all, beggars can't be choosers!” he added.
Now that he is at the centre of attention, Gandhi is excited to begin a new chapter in his Bollywood journey. In a previous interview with BT he said, “Today, when I look at the projects lined up, I don’t feel nervous or pressurised. I am only excited. I guess my experience in theatre and Gujarati films, where I worked mainly as the central protagonist, has given me some sort of confidence to sail through.”
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The audience will now see him in new projects like ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’, ‘Dedh Bigha Zameen’, ‘Woh Ladki Hai Kahaan?’ and an untitled romantic comedy with Vidya Balan.
