Pratik Gandhi‘s story of becoming an actor is about dreaming, struggle and persistence.
Opening up about his days before he became a full-time actor, Pratik shares, “I came to Mumbai in 2004.
I came here thinking that there will be better prospects in Mumbai for theatre and engineering and I started working in both the fields.
That was a time when I had to decide whether to continue with my engineering job or acting because I had started losing opportunity at both the ends.
He shares, “My father was after me to quit my job, he said I was made for acting.
Pratik Gandhi‘s story of becoming an actor is about dreaming, struggle and persistence. The actor shifted to Mumbai from his hometown Surat in 2004, after giving up his high-paying job as an engineer, to try his hand at acting in the city of dreams. Pratik, in this interview with indianexpress.com, candidly opens up about how, at one point, he had a full-time corporate job and would then go for theatre rehearsals and TV auditions. He describes the moment he decided to give up on his high profile job, which would take him abroad but leave him without acting, his first love.
Opening up about his days before he became a full-time actor, Pratik shares, “I came to Mumbai in 2004. I had a diploma in mechanical engineering and BE production engineer and one year of sales experience in Surat. I came here thinking that there will be better prospects in Mumbai for theatre and engineering and I started working in both the fields. So I was a consultant with National Productivity Council for four years, I did multiple projects for manpower planning and productivity improvement and along with it I kept doing theatre, Gujarati, Hindi and English.”
On how he finally gave up his corporate job and chose acting, he adds, “This combined journey went on till 2016. By that time I had done two hit Gujarati films, one of which was Wrong Side Raju that also won a National Award and I had done around 15-16 plays. That was a time when I had to decide whether to continue with my engineering job or acting because I had started losing opportunity at both the ends. In my corporate office, I had been promoted to middle management level and the next promotion would put me in senior management level so I would have to travel more for work. I had a couple of offers for consultancy because my profile was quite unique. I was in a dilemma because if I picked it up I would have to leave Mumbai for three years as my first assignment was abroad. But I knew that if I would pick it up I’d have to give up on acting altogether. So it was 2016 that I made up my mind and gave up on my job to pursue acting.”
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pratik Gandhi (@pratikgandhiofficial)
Pratik shares that while his family was quite supportive of his acting dream, his mother had misgivings. He shares, “My father was after me to quit my job, he said I was made for acting. I kept telling him that it wasn’t the right time to leave the job. I was just buying time till I was sure… My father pushed and encouraged me. Two years after leaving my job, I was promoting a film, and my mother called me to ask ‘did you do the right thing?’”
He says, “My wife’s reaction and my family’s reaction matters a lot. They all have lived my dream. It is just because of their support and understanding and their emotional anchoring that I could do it. Without family’s support it is not easy to stick around and keep your dream alive for so long. I owe my overall success to my family, it is their success, I have just been an instrument.”
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Applause Entertainment (@applausesocial)
Pratik has been hailed for his intense roles, his introduction to the Hindi speaking audience was his act as Harshad Mehta in Scam 1992. However, he delivered a smashing performance in comedy caper Madgaon Express and has now showed his soft romantic, goofy side in Do Aur Do Pyaar with Vidya Balan. But, the actor feels he is lucky to have been cast in the rom-com film because according to him, he is not an “obvious choice” for such films. He explains, “People had just seen Scam 1992 as my major work. Even in the mainstream people had not seen my work, not even theatre. So after watching me in Scam anyone imagining me in this kind of character and then I get to work on this film is a treat for myself because as an actor I want to do it but something like this should even come to you, which mostly doesn’t for a lot of people. People visualising you for something so different is rare. It is because Applause, Ellipsis, Tanuj Garg, Swati and even Sirsha collective thought about me in this role and I got to be a part of the film is a big deal for me.”
