Pratik Gandhi: It took almost 16 years to reach this place

Actor Pratik Gandhi, who became a pan-India sensation last year with his portrayal of Harshad Mehta in the popular series "Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story", says it took him over a decade to reach where he is today.

Post "Scam 1992", Pratik, who has made a mark on the Gujarati screen and stage, is set to appear as a solo hero in Hardik Gajjar's film "Atithi Bhoot Bhava", co-starring Jackie Shroff and Sharmin Segal. He has other assignments lined up.

Recently, though, Pratik faced the camera with a very different challenge than testing his histrionic skills. He was on the set of "Star Vs Food", where, under the guidance of Chef Vidit Aren, he was seen trying his hand at whipping up cold-roasted globe artichokes and portobello mushrooms.

The actor says his wife Bhamini is his biggest critic, and he believes he would win the challenge only if he satisfies her refined palate.

"During lockdown I had done enough disasters," he said, recalling his recent culinary experiences.

Bhamini added: "The couple of times he tried to make rotis, roti ek dum papad jaisi ho jati hai (the roti would end up becoming like a papad)!"

Pratik, who graduated in industrial engineering from Pune university and had worked for a while in Reliance Industries before acting beckoned, said: "I had heard this phrase where 'if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen'. Now I understand where it comes from. I think more than actor, my engineer side will work in the kitchen."

"When I came to Bombay in 2004, I had an engineering degree in my hand and some sort of theatre experience from my hometown, and I thought I will be making it big soon, but it took almost 16 years to reach this place," the actor added.

After going through rigid kitchen drills, Pratik reflects on his achievement during the taste test: "I think I have successfully completed this challenge and you can see how successful I was -- the fact is these guys are not even ready to believe that I cooked this! That says a lot."

He will be seen in the show on Discovery+ on May 13.

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