{"id":288055,"date":"2025-04-23T02:46:05","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T02:46:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/23\/pratik-gandhi-is-surprised-why-there-hasnt-been-a-film-on-phule-yet-every-social-evil-he-fought-against-is-still-there\/"},"modified":"2025-04-23T02:46:06","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T02:46:06","slug":"pratik-gandhi-is-surprised-why-there-hasnt-been-a-film-on-phule-yet-every-social-evil-he-fought-against-is-still-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/23\/pratik-gandhi-is-surprised-why-there-hasnt-been-a-film-on-phule-yet-every-social-evil-he-fought-against-is-still-there\/","title":{"rendered":"Pratik Gandhi is surprised why there hasn\u2019t been a film on Phule yet: \u2018Every social evil he fought against is still there\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Pratik<\/div>


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Amid controversies and initial opposition from the Brahmin community, Ananth Mahadevan\u2019s period drama Phule will finally see the light of day this Friday on April 25. Based on the lives of legendary 19th century social activists Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule, the film stars Pratik Gandhi and Patralekhaa as the lead couple. In an interview with SCREEN, Pratik talked about playing larger-than-life real-life characters like Jyotirao Phule, Mahatma Gandhi, and Harshad Mehta, and how he manages to bring authenticity to each of them.<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s the first question I asked my director when he offered me the role. He joked that a film on Phule hasn\u2019t been made because we were supposed to make it. Every social evil he fought back then is still there, in one or the other form. So something which is so relevant, nobody thought about it. I don\u2019t know who can answer this question. I just feel fortunate enough that I could do it.<\/p>\n

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With no reference point in Hindi cinema, how did you get into Phule\u2019s shoes?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My biggest reference point was a detailed, well-researched script. The reforms Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule have done are so huge that it\u2019s difficult to pin them down to 2 hours and 20 minutes. So one must read and research everything before compressing the character\u2019s life. That job was already done by Ananth Mahadevan and his co-writers. It gave me a complete idea of the world. Apart from that, I wanted to make sure I didn\u2019t make any mistakes in pronouncing Marathi. I also spoke to a lot of people who knew about his traits and qualities. That\u2019s how I went beyond the script with my performance.<\/p>\n

Do you think why Hindi cinema hasn\u2019t had a film on the Phules is because unlike Marathi cinema, it shies away from depiction of caste<\/a>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No, I think films have been made on this issue, in the black-and-white era and even after that. But off late, I think after the 1980s, cinema changed. We moved towards a more limited definition of entertainment. That must be a reason why people didn\u2019t touch this topic or it was forgotten easily.<\/p>\n

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Do you think post the 1980s, we\u2019ve also stopped going into the interiors of India? Like the late Manoj Kumar did. You did Dedh Bhiga Zameen last year and Phule now. Why do we lack representation of those sections of India?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our stories should come from our society. The best part of India is that we have diverse cultures, so many of them, in terms of regions, religions, and languages. We should have representation from all walks of life. From \u201980s onwards, cinema became more of aspirational storytelling. I met a lot of people then who said, \u201cYe sab toh roz marra mein hota hi hai. Issey badhkar cinema mein kuchh dekhna hai\u201d (This happens anyway in our daily lives. We want to see something that\u2019s far ahead in our cinema). They want to forget their struggles and have fun. But I also believe there should be some kind of representation of these people and their struggles.<\/p>\n

Since you were a prominent Gujarati star and was introduced to the Hindi audience as another Gujarati character, Harshad Mehta, with Scam 1992, was it tough to break out of that mould and play say, a Bengali character in Do Aur Do Pyaar and a Marathi character in Agni and Phule?<\/strong><\/p>\n

For anyone coming from regional cinema, they\u2019ll be initially cast only in that kind of a role. So many good Bengali actors today are being offered only Bengali roles. Similarly, it happened to me too. It happens until someone shows enough faith to give you the opportunity to break out of it. Even though Harshad Mehta was a Gujarati character, Scam 1992 was equal to four films. So that helped people realise that I can do the full range of emotions and play different kinds of parts.<\/p>\n

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You managed to bring a ray of sunshine to even a scamster like Harshad Mehta. Do you feel it\u2019s also your job to show the chinks in the armour of a Mahatma like Jyotirao Phule?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t judge my characters. If I do that while performing, I\u2019ll colour them. You have to see it as just a character. My job as an actor is to make the character human, as in his logic and psychology should be completely clear in my mind. If I\u2019m playing a serial killer, I have to be a serial killer in my mind. Anybody who\u2019s doing something that\u2019s largely perceived as something negative, they\u2019re convinced why they\u2019re doing it. If I play a serial killer with my morality, then it\u2019ll never work. So even when I\u2019m playing a character like Phule, I don\u2019t have to treat him like a superstar right from the start. I just have to live his life. There\u2019s already a journey. I just have to show that journey.<\/p>\n

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