'Ishq toh acting se hi tha', says Pratik Gandhi as he shares story of his struggling days

Actor Pratik Gandhi has received major acclaim since he effortlessly shouldered the web series Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, by himself. But did you know, the actor was an engineer before he ventured into making a full-time career in acting? Pratik Gandhi has recently shared his story, from when he acted for the first time and what was it that made him fall in love with being on stage. Read along and take a look at his story here.

Pratik Gandhi shares his story of going from "engineering to acting"

Pratik Gandhi of Scam 1992 fame has been receiving major love since he played Harshad Mehta in the show. The actor recently featured on the Humans of Bombay page, where he shared his journey of coming from a middle-class family where education was a priority, which is why he did an engineering course first and then moved on to act. He said the latter was his love since he first did a 5-minute skit in his school in the 4th grade.

Gandhi said, “I was in the 4th grade when I first performed on stage. It was just a 5-minute skit, but the thundering claps I received stayed with me. That’s when my tryst with acting began–soon, my teachers cast me in more plays. But we were middle class; Papa was supportive, but he’d say, ‘Pehle degree lo, phir jo karna hai karo’ (get the degree first and then do whatever you want to). So I opted for engineering. Still, I’d do small plays– 'Ishq toh acting se hi tha'” (I loved only acting).

The actor further shared that after doing his graduation, he moved to Mumbai where he worked on projects so as to be able to act in plays on the side. He shared how he would also have months without income and took up odd jobs. Gandhi then revealed how the 2006 Surat floods majorly affected his family and they lost their home, after which his family of four started living in a 1 room-kitchen.

The actor then decided to take a full-time job, but still took out time for his passion. He said, “…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 & after, I’d do plays. I did this for 6 years. 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”.

The movie that the actor did was Bey Yaar, which became a hit and overnight Gandhi became a mainstream Gujarati actor. He shared after his debut movie, he took all the offers that followed and took the risk of giving up his job at the age of 36, and he stated that even after having a house loan to repay and a toddler to take care of, it felt like the right thing to do.

Further opening up about the journey after he got Hansal Mehta’s Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta and how it has changed his life, Gandhi said, “I did some Hindi films & 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! 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…”.

The actor stated that he did not expect the show to become so big and the response was amazing. Pratik added that when Shabana Azmi appreciated his performance, he teared up. He mentioned, “…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”.

Concluding his awe-spiring story, the actor stated, "It’s been 5 months since Scam’s release & my life has taken a 180° 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!”.

Promo Image Source: Pratik Gandhi Instagram