I left a job with a package of 25-26 lakhs and then came to know that my father was diagnosed with cancer: Prateek Gandhi

Prateek Gandhi was the same before success and even after success. Even if he has moved from a small to a big house or his car has become expensive but his attitude has not changed at all. Even today those people who saw him said that one day you will become a big actor. His father has played an important role in the success of Pratik Gandhi. The ‘Harshad Mehta’ of the screen, who has matured with time and does not let success dominate his head, has no sorrow for getting success late, rather he considers it a favor from the almighty. After getting success, Prateik, who sees a change in the eyes of people instead of himself, has gone back after shooting Tigmanshu Dhulia’s film ‘Ghamasan’ in Lucknow for 11 days. While leaving, he made a promise that the next time he comes here, he will show the people of the city doing theater in Lucknow.

‘Told you to quit your job and just do acting’

When I was nothing, at that time there were two-three people who told me, ‘You act very well. You leave the job etc. and do only this. I used to do theatre, films and other things along with a corporate job. There is one Manohar Gadhia in Mumbai, who runs a PR agency. When I came to Mumbai from Surat for the first time, it was he who introduced me to people. He said that you should just do acting, leave everything else. Then Manoj, the director of my theatre, said the same thing. Actually, the theater we used to do is called experimental. It is not possible to live with him. That is, everything will be less but still it will work. It was not possible for me to do this, that too with a family. Also, there was my father, who used to say these things.

My father did not live to see how life changed after Scam 1992. He always said one thing that you don’t do anything, just act. What will happen, you will live in a small house more and more. Will roam without a car but will be very happy. I still remember these lines of his. Finally, I left the job with a package of 25-26 lakhs. It was learned at home that father had cancer. All kinds of problems came, but not even once did it come out of his mouth that if you were doing the job, maybe something would have been different. It was not that I quit my job and started getting bigger jobs. I was doing theatre, small Gujarati films. Even though he is not with us today, but I feel that he is always with me. Even today I share all my things with him.

When I was innocent, I used to think why it is taking so long

I don’t have any grudge against time or God. I used to think in 2012-13, when I was naive, why is it taking so much time? Thoughts used to come that if success would have come sooner or if age was on my side, I could have done something else. But after the second day of ‘scam’, my world started changing. People started looking at me differently. Then I thought that whatever happened happened at the right time. Had I been in a hurry, I would not have been able to do what I did in ‘Scam’. Theater, poetry reading, radio play, whatever little work I have done in these years, it has increased my art somewhere. All those things then came together in one big show.

my life is like before

Till now I did not feel that success has dominated me. Yes, people’s attitude towards me has definitely changed. The words people used to talk to me have also changed. I have seen these changes in people’s eyes without seeing them in myself. My life is same as before. Nothing has changed in my eating and drinking habits. Yes, it’s okay that I came from a small to a big house, changed the car. Even if I had a job, all these things would keep changing year after year with increments and promotions. Those materialistic changes are by default. As far as the ideation, the approach to the stories, the script selection is concerned, it is still the same as it was earlier. Where I feel that this thing should be done, it will be fun to do it or if I am able to do it, I am doing the same.

got here through a lot

There are many reasons why I am not changing. I have reached here after seeing many things in my life. Meaning, giving value to every little thing has become the basis of my life. I come from a family of teachers, so there are some things like your behaviour, how you speak, these have been seen in the family since childhood, so they will not change suddenly. Secondly, I am not a 20-25 year old guy. That is an age where you can get influenced very quickly. Where is such a change possible at the age of 40-42.

Favorite Food Dal-Roti, Vegetable-Rice

I like home food. I can eat a balanced meal consisting of pulses, vegetables, roti and some rice in a plate for 365 days. Now I have to stay outside for a month and a half and eat in hotels for shooting, so I talk to the chef in advance that brother should have very simple food. I am a vegetarian, but have turned agitarian for the last two-three years. My food and water changes so rapidly that the body gets upset. When I left Chitrakoot, my stomach immediately got upset. Throat problem due to dust. Many times even dinner has to be skipped due to long shoots.

Mahatma Gandhi’s biopic big achievement

The series being made on Mahatma Gandhi is the biggest achievement for me so far. The challenge of this biopic is also more. There are many reasons for this. First thing, that time and era was different. There are so many things of that time that from which angle you want to tell the story, it is very important. It is impossible to cover everything in one go of the life of a great man like Bapu. This is a series so a lot will be covered. Still a lot of things will be there to decide which route we want to tell the story. We have read and seen a lot about him, so I will have to undergo a physical transformation for his character. One thing that is most important is that what was going on in his mind at that time is open to interpretation. It will be my endeavor to touch that thing which no one knows about. There would be very few people, who would have read the book ‘My Experiments with Truth’. Today’s generation just feels that Bapu was a great man ever since he was born. It was not like that. The indecisiveness of his mind that what was going on in his mind at what time, as an actor, I have to take that out, only then newness will come in it.

Played in the repertory in Lucknow – Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon

Could not visit Lucknow due to shooting. However, after staying for 11 days, the mood of this city was definitely known. I just saw the Bara Imambara lying on the shooting spot, the bygone houses of old Lucknow. This city has its own specialty. I have been passing through Lucknow even during my job. Also, came to perform ‘Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon’ in Repertory in 2016. I came to know for the first time at that time that there is a lot of appreciation for theater here too. The people of Lucknow are nice and supportive. The reason for this can also be that many films and web series are being shot here. Now it seems that Lucknow will continue to come and go. If possible, next time the people of Lucknow will see me doing theater in Lucknow.

South cinema is connected to its literature, land

What I felt about South cinema from the point of view of an audience is that their films remain attached to their things, literature, land, that’s why we are enjoying it more. They look real. Pan India pressure is somewhere in the main stream. Because of that many things get diluted. This is missing somewhere in Bollywood. By the way, this is a phase, which comes everywhere, in every industry. In such a situation, I feel that when this happens, only then new things come out. New ways of storytelling will emerge and people’s interest in new stories will also increase.