Pratik Gandhi has no qualms in admitting that when the makers of Raavan Leela approached him, he wasn’t sure whether his face on the poster would sell the film. This was, after all, happening months before Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story took the web world by storm. The actor recounts, “When I heard the last scene, I knew I wanted to do the film. I left the casting choice to my director Hardik [Gajjar]. It was on him to bet on me and make the film. I was a nobody then. We knew we would struggle to release it. But then, things changed.”

They sure did. Last October, as Hansal Mehta released his web series on the life of Harshad Mehta, the industry and audience woke up to a new talent. Gandhi, who had until then made ripples in theatre and Gujarati cinema, became an overnight star. Now, as he gears up for his Bollywood debut with the theatrical offering, the actor says he is conscious of not carrying any baggage from Scam 1992.

“For me, the story and character should offer the space to portray complex human emotions. This was the [criterion to choosing projects] then, and it’s the same now. I am not a brand; I am an artiste. I don’t think about positioning myself as a certain kind of actor who will do a specific genre of films. Initially, after the show released, I felt a lot of pressure. People had suggestions on how I should chart my career. But I listened to the one thing that has got me by the last 16 years — my gut feeling.”

Raavan Leela is only the first of several Hindi films that Gandhi has signed. Does the lure of the big screen stand true today at a time when OTT entertainment is creating worthy stars? “It’s not about the big screen as much as it’s about doing a pan-India film,” reasons Gandhi, adding, “In cinema, you live with the characters for two hours and take them home with you. It’s an irreplaceable experience. Seeing your name on a theatrical release is a high every actor yearns for.”