EXCLUSIVE: Pratik Gandhi reveals researching the effect of the drug his character consumed in Madgaon Express; says, “There’s a whole range of emotions”

Pratik Gandhi is an acclaimed Indian actor best known for his remarkable portrayal of Harshad Mehta in the web series Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story. Starting his career in Gujarati theatre and cinema, he earned widespread recognition for his nuanced performances and dedication to his craft. With a background in engineering, Gandhi transitioned seamlessly into acting, captivating audiences with his authenticity, versatility, and ability to bring complex characters to life. Recently the actor sat down to chat with Bollywood Bubble and shared some personal and professional details. Pratik also talked about his character from Madgaon Express.

Pratik Gandhi about his character in Madgaon Express

Pratik played the character of Pinku in the film. The character faced the issue of drugs and it’s aftermath. Talking about the same, the actor shared how he prepared for this character. Pratik said, “If you want to do a character, like even any drunkard it’s very tricky most of the time. You know, actors can overdo it—slurring, doing too much. It kind of spreads out. Especially when it’s a mentally unstable character, people tend to go overboard. I feel this is a zone where there’s only one point to land on. Just two millimetres this way or that, and you won’t land properly. That’s how the character of Pinku was. And of course, as I said, Kunal deserves all the credit for this, the way he wrote it, the way he narrated it to me, and then left it up to me to do it my way. I guess the theatre experience I’ve had over the years helped me a lot.”

But one thing that happened after this film is that it gave me a lot of confidence in the way I’ve always seen comedy. I’ve always believed that in comedy, less is more. The tighter, the shorter, the more precise it is, the more impactful it becomes. So, frankly speaking, I didn’t overdo anything in this. This guy falls, and whatever substance enters his bloodstream makes him do what he does.

On preparing for the character

The actor said, “I had to understand what that substance was and its general effects on the human body. I read about it, how this particular substance works and what it does in a larger sense to humans. If you look at white papers or any material on it, you’ll learn how it works, how it progresses, and how it has a ‘downer’ phase. In the downer phase, people behave differently. Of course, this behaviour changes from person to person and also depends on the personality of the individual. This is what I read—how this all happens.”

He further continued, “For the character of Pinku, we made him very suppressed. His alter ego, which he constantly keeps bottled up, becomes his main ego, while his real self turns into the alter ego. Everything he wants to say but can’t, everything he wants to do but can’t—it all comes out.”

The film was a theatrical hit and loved by the audience. The film also had other actors like Kunal Khemu, Avinash Tiwary, Divyenndu, Nora Fatehi. It was helmed by Kunal Khemu and produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar.

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