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Exclusive | Pratik Gandhi on 10 years of Mohan Ka Masala: This play has shaped me as a performer and as a person
Performing in Lucknow, during on the opening day of Repertwahr Fest, actor Pratik Gandhi talks about the play, his connection with Mahatma Gandhi and the city.
Actor Pratik Gandhi set the tone for the performing arts festival Repertwahr with his power-packed solo performance of the play Mohan Ka Masala.
Held at Janeshwar Misra Park in Lucknow, the play—directed by Manoj Shah and written by Ishan Doshi—kept the audience captivated for 90 minutes as the actor delivered a masterpiece, later earning a standing ovation from the packed audience.
The actor tells HT City, “Mohan Ka Masala is extremely close to my heart. I have been performing this play for 10 years now, and yet every single time I step on stage, it teaches me something new."
He adds, “What makes it special is that it doesn’t try to glorify (Mahatma) Gandhi as a statue or an icon—it looks at him as a human being. A young man full of doubts, fears, curiosity, and contradictions. As an actor, that honesty excites me. It allows me to connect with Gandhi not through imitation, but through emotion and thought. This play has shaped me as a performer and as a person.”
Pratik was amazed by the audience response and the connection they made with him. “The audience response has been overwhelming and deeply humbling. What surprises me every time is how people from different age groups, languages, and backgrounds find their own meaning in the play,” he says.
The actor adds, “I’ve performed Mohan Ka Masala for very different audiences—from theatre lovers to first-time viewers, even inmates at Sabarmati Jail—and the emotional connect remains strong everywhere. That tells me that honest storytelling cuts across barriers. When audiences stay back to share their thoughts or tell me how they saw themselves in Mohan, that’s when I feel the real power of theatre.”
Last year, Pratik shot for Tigmanshu Dhulia’s action film in the city, and he also has a personal connection with Lucknow.
“Lucknow has a very special place in my journey. I’ve spent considerable time here during my earlier working years, even before acting became my full-time profession. I used to visit often for work, stay for long stretches, and the city gradually became familiar and comforting,” he says.
Sharing nostalgic memories of his work experience, he says, “Professionally, Lucknow holds strong theatre memories for me as well. I first performed here at the Repertwahr Theatre Festival in 2015 with my play Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon. To see a theatre festival not only survive but grow steadily over the years is truly inspiring. The fact that they are now celebrating 13 years, with a stronger presence and a newer, younger audience, makes me feel proud as a theatre practitioner.”
He adds that coming to perform Mohan Ka Masala felt like “completing a circle and reconnecting with the city, the audience, and my own roots in theatre.”
