Pratik Gandhi (Gujarati: પ્રતિક ગાંધી), is an Indian theatre and film actor who works in Gujarati theatre and cinema.
Born to a humble couple who were both teachers, Pratik Gandhi was born in Surat in a modest family – like the millions of others in India. And like most kids of his age, he dreamt of becoming a doctor – a dream whose lifeline was cut short because of grades. A temporary stint as a salesman with an industrial company saw him juggling a day job and pursuing his passion for theatre in the evening. The earnings were good pocket money, but what really kept the fire lit were the evenings – a new dawn every dusk, where new stories were enacted, new people were born, and new worlds created.
CAREER
Pratik Gandhi studied at Pravritti Vidyalaya, Surat where he is involved in theatre arts. He graduated in engineering and works for a multinational corporation in Mumbai.
ENGINEERING EMOTIONS: As is with most kids fresh out of high school, a graduation degree is a gateway to a respectable future, which prompted Pratik to join an engineering course in Maharashtra. Perhaps it was fate. Perhaps it was the proximity to Mumbai. Or perhaps, it was just the passion for theatre that refused to die down, even amidst smelly labs and lumbering textbooks. Graduating with a glee, Pratik turned his sails to where his heart truly belonged – Mumbai. Wise enough to know that theatre won’t help run a home, he bunked with a cousin, while job hunting. And when not attending interviews, he attended shows to understand the craft better and also auditioned for many production houses. However, nothing came through. It took 5 long months for Pratik to get a call from National Productivity Council. "I couldn’t believe I had received a call from THIS place. It is a dream place for Industrial Engineers.” He says with fond memories that liven up his eyes. Through with the interview, he set off for manpower study project in Satara, Pune. Away from Mumbai, but never away his love for acting which he continued to pursue with monologues in front of a mirror.
MUMBAI CALLING: Even the heat of Satara couldn’t cool his belief in the power of destiny. A believer in the universe and someone who always achieved what he envisions for himself, Pratik always envisioned working for a commercial Gujarati play for which he had done backstage years ago. It came to him when the opportunity was right. “The play was to open in 15 days. I thought it would have nothing to do, or why would he call me at such a short notice. But since it was Firoz sir, I went. He saw me, asked people to take my measurement. I thought they’d have some tiny role for me." However, a few days later, Pratik was informed that he would be on the same stage as Firoz Bhagat, Apara Mehta, Vipra Rawal. The title of the play “Aa paar Ke Pele Paar”. With 200 shows to follow, Pratik had arrived on the Gujarati theatre scene, and how! With the kind of footing he always wanted to grow in the industry, he also travelled abroad for the first time with this play. After the tremendous success of his first play, Pratik was noticed by the right people at the right time. Soon, he landed a role performing with another stalwart of Gujarati Theatre - Manoj Shah. Amidst juggling a day job, theatre and getting married, Pratik was spotted by the director of his first movie – “Bey Yaar”. The movie was about to hit the floors and it opened-up new avenues for Pratik. He was soon to become a father too. Two fortunate things occurred simultaneously - the release and
success of his first Gujarati film as well as his daughter being born. Post Bey Yaar, there has been no looking back for Pratik. Even though a few films were offered, he chose to pursue quality theatre with several hit plays like Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon, Hu Chandrakant Bakhsi etc. It’s nothing but his acting prowess coupled with sheer dedication that earned Pratik a name in the Limca Book of Records with his play "Mohan's Masala" a monologue performed in three languages - English, Hindi and Gujarati on the same day! He played a lead role in his next Wrong Side Raju.
PERSONAL LIFE
Pratik Gandhi married television and theatre actress Bhamini Oza in 2009. He has a daughter born in 2014.
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