At the moment, Pratik Gandhi has arguably everything an actor seeks — a shot at Bollywood, rendezvous with fame, and the attention of a pan-India audience. He bagged two Hindi film projects in quick succession after the wild success of Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story. But the heady fame has not made him forget his roots. Gandhi, who started his acting journey with theatre, is set to direct a Hindi play that will be an extension of his directorial debut, Saat Teri Ekvees.   

The actor-director had staged the all-women Gujarati play in Kolkata in 2019. Featuring his wife Bhamini Gandhi, Ami Trivedi, Shraddha Musale, Chitraleka Rathod, Binda Raval, Tusharika Rajguru and Veronica Gautam, the drama had the seven leads offer monologues on the different shades of emotions experienced by women, including survival, intimacy, motherhood, love and appreciation. 

“[In Saat Teri Ekvees], we had seven female actors backed by male writers. Now, I want to present male monologues that will be written by women. The script will tackle different subjects through seven male actors, each taking centre-stage for 15 minutes. I want to direct it this year,” says Gandhi, who had burst on the acting scene with Aa Paar Ke Pele Paar. Having dedicated over 13 years to theatre, he says, “Turning director was a [natural] progression for me.”  

It has been a busy few months for the actor, who recently wrapped up the shoot of Atithi Bhooto Bhava. Up next is Woh Ladki Hai Kahaan? opposite Taapsee Pannu. Tell him it will be difficult to juggle Bollywood, regional cinema and dramatics, and he says, “I come from Gujarati cinema and theatre, so I won’t give them up. I believe that art has no language. I want to explore regional cinema across India. The only thing I can do is divide my time judiciously so that I can strike a balance.”