Pratik Gandhi, who became a star after featuring in the smash hit web-series Scam 1992, in his piece for Humans Of Bombay, opened up about his struggling days, the jobs he took up to make ends meet and his one true love- acting. Recalling his days of struggle, Pratik wrote: "After graduating, I moved to Bombay-for 4 years I worked on a project basis so that I could act. But there'd be months with no income. So, I did odd jobs like installing TV towers and anchoring." Pratik and his family moved to Mumbai after they lost their home in the 2006 Surat floods and stayed in a 1 room apartment in the city. "But then the 2006 Surat floods took our home. My family came to Bombay and the 4 of us stayed in a 1RK; after I got married, 5 of us were in that tiny space. So I took up a full-time job. Still, I'd rehearse for 2 hours before work and after, I'd do plays. I did this for 6 years," he added.
In his extensive post, Pratik wrote about his first break, which was a Gujarati film and how Scam 1992 happened. He juggled between his job and acting. "Then finally, I got a role in a Gujarati film! So, I took a 22-day leave from work for the shoot. At times, right after my shot, I'd get on a work call. After the shoot, I went back to work. I wasn't even there for the promotions. Fortunately, Bey Yaar was a hit; overnight, I became a mainstream Gujarati actor." At 36, he quit his job to pursue acting fulltime. "Although I had a house loan, and a toddler, it felt right. I did some Hindi films and web series, but I got my big break when I got a call from Hansal Mehta's team. I was shortlisted for Harshad Mehta's role in SonyLIV's Scam 1992," read an excerpt from his post.
The actor added how he prepped for the TV show. "I jumped in feet first-from watching older news clippings of him to studying the stock market, I did it all. And then, the show released," he wrote. He revealed that it was a compliment from Shabana Azmi that made him teary-eyed. "I didn't realise it'd become this huge! It was so overwhelming. 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 documented how his life has been after the release of Scam 1992 and he wrote: "It's been 5 months since Scam's release and my life has taken a 180 degree turn! People see me as a 'lead actor' now. Zindagi ne jaise ek dum se raftar pakad li hai 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."
Read the post here:
Other than Scam 1992, Pratik Gandhi has featured in hit Gujarati movies such as Bey Yaar, Wrong Side Raju, Love Ni Bhavai and has starred in Hindi projects, including Mitron and Salman Khan-produced Loveyatri.