Pratik Gandhi: ‘World needs Gandhi now more than ever’

Pratik Gandhi. Pic/Instagram; (right) Mahatma Gandhi

When Dedh Bigha Zameen came his way, Pratik Gandhi's first reaction was to the title, and an unfavourable one at that. Director Pulkit made him see that it had nothing in common with Bimal Roy's classic, Do Bigha Zameen (1953). "After my first reading, I realised that it couldn't have had any other name," says Pratik.

In Dedh Bigha Zameen, the actor plays a common man who intends to sell his ancestral land, only to realise that it has been illegally possessed by a corrupt official. The hero battling an oppressive system is a common trope in Hindi cinema. But Pratik credits Pulkit of Bhakshak fame for developing a moving and essential story. "Pulkit's approach and writing are organic. Bhakshak disturbed me; I couldn't sleep all night. He has the tendency to touch your core while asking questions that others don't. We would create many scenes on the set. While performing, some lines hit differently, and Pulkit allows you the space to tweak a scene to your liking."

Khushali Kumar stars opposite Pratik Gandhi in Dedh Bigha Zameen

Pratik showed his acting prowess with Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story (2020), and with the success of Madgaon Express, his star is on the rise. He considers himself a switch-on-switch-off actor. "When I am performing, I have two people inside me - Pratik and the character. The character is telling the story, Pratik is objectively looking at the performance. I'm critical of myself to the point of overthinking."

His next big project is Gandhi, a multi-season series on Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the world did not know of the Mahatma until the film, Gandhi (1982), was made. The remark has been condemned by many across the country. The actor says the Mahatma has become all the more relevant today. "The world needs Gandhi now more than ever before. Gandhi is not a person, he is a thought process. It's necessary to know and understand where he comes from. With this show, we're making a digital footprint of him. What we've read in school is only a portion of his life. Our series is delving into many aspects that people have not known. It will help them see Gandhi in a different light, even make him more human."