Pratik Gandhi's appearance in the highly praised series 'Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story' catapulted him to stardom, but the actor insists he is not letting his newfound popularity dictate his artistic judgments.
The actor, who has worked actively in the Gujarati cinema and theatrical industry for over ten years, stated that after the success of the Hansal Mehta-directed production, he was inundated with proposals from well-meaning individuals.
"Initially, when 'Scam' was released and it instantly became huge, I did feel the pressure. Everyone kept telling me that my next move will decide my career, that I had to choose wisely and be double sure of what I do next.
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"But when I thought about it, I realised there's no formula to this. I reached this stage following my gut and it's the only way I have to go forward. I kept converting the pressure into excitement for new projects," Gandhi said.
The 41-year-old actor's biggest learning in the past year has been about the maintaining a good balance of patience and hard work to make a mark in the entertainment industry.
"You'll be given only one opportunity. But you'll have to prepare yourself for years for that opportunity, even before it knocks on your door," he added.
Gandhi's convincing act as the controversial stockbroker Harshad Mehta in the series has resulted in countless offers for film and series.
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Earlier this year, he was seen in the Gujarati drama series 'Vitthal Teedi'. His upcoming Bollywood films include Taapsee Pannu-starrer 'Woh Ladki Hai Kahaan?' and romantic comedy 'Atithi Bhoota Bhava'.
He was also filming Tigmanshu Dhulia''s untitled web series, co-starring Richa Chadha before the second wave of COVID-19 halted the shoot earlier this year.
For the Surat-born actor, this line-up is a testament to the trust of the filmmakers in his acting ability.
Gandhi said there are makers who are writing roles especially for him, which is a dream come true.
"There is a lot of excitement around me. Every day there are new things coming to me. What changed after 'Scam' on a bigger level was the way the audience and the makers started looking at me as an actor.
"There are interesting offers coming my way. There are people approaching me with roles written for me. I was waiting for this for 16 long years."
Gandhi, however, is also aware that filmmakers will be often tempted to cast him in the roles that the audience has loved him in before.
"It's important for me now more than ever to not get stuck. To keep reinventing myself. Once something gets noticed and people love you, most of the makers want to put you in the same bracket, feeling this is what the audience would want from an actor.
"But as an artist, I don't want to be in that space. I want to be in a space where, if I appear on the stage or the screen, the audience should not know what I'm going to do," he said.
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He is currently featured on one of the episodes of the online celebrity cooking show 'Gobble - You Got Chef''d' season three. The appearance on the show is in line with Gandhi's plans to keep "surprising" his audience. He said if the audience continues to be engaged with his work, that means he is "constantly evolving".
"Audience should expect different characters, a lot of new storytelling that I am going to be a part of in the coming years. All my roles are remarkably different from each other. I'll be able to show different ranges with my work, the attempt is that," he added.
(With Inputs from PTI)
