Pratik Gandhi, the lead actor in the web series Scam 1992, needs no introduction. While he recently shot to fame he has had fair share of highs and lows as a performer.
Born into a middle class family, Pratik did not have it easy in the film industry. Recently, he talked about his struggles and journey in conversation with Humans of Bombay.
Pratik was in the 4th standard when he performed his first skit in school. It was a 5-minute gig but the applause and appreciation he received stayed with him forever. He continued to act in school plays, but could not take up acting as a career because of the constraints in a middle class family.
Papa was supportive but he’d say, ‘Pehle degree lo, phir jo karna hai karo.’ So I opted for engineering. Still, I’d do small plays–ishq toh acting se hi tha.
Soon after graduation, he moved to Mumbai and took up small acting assignments on project basis. There’d be months when he had no work so he did odd jobs like installing TV towers and anchoring.
His family lived in Surat but after the floods in 2006, they moved to Mumbai. Together they lived in 1RK and continued to live there for years. With the added responsibilities of marriage and family, Pratik decided to take up a full-time job.
But even then he did not quit acting. He’d rehearse before work and did plays after work hours.
His hard work paid off when he got a role in the Gujarati film Bey Yaar. He took a 22-day leave from work to complete the film shoot. The film was a hit and established Pratik as an actor in the mainstream Gujarati cinema.
At 36, he decided to finally quit his full-time job.
Although I had a house loan, & a toddler, it felt right.
There was no looking back from here. He acted in a few Hindi an Gujarati films and then Scam 1992 happened. Pratik’s work was praised by film critics and his fandom increased manifold. He even received the Critics Choice Award for Scam 1992.
And when Shabana Azmi Ma’am told me it was the best performance she’d seen in 20 years, I was in tears. My wife was ecstatic! And when my parents saw me win an IIFA, they were so moved.
Pratik told Humans of Bombay how his life took a 180-degree turn after Scam 1992 released. The reason?
But all of this happened because at 36, instead of getting comfortable, I decided to take a risk kyun ki… risk hai toh ishq hai!
You can read the entire post here.
