After belting out a slew of critically acclaimed plays like Apurva Avsar, Hu Chandrakant Baksh, Master Madam, Mohan Na Masala and Sir Sir Sarla, actor Pratik Gandhi is now all set to don the hat of a director for the third season of an upcoming Gujarati stage production titled Saat Teri Ekvees (7 x 3 = 21). Produced by Manhar Gadhia Production, it is an anthology of seven original monologues. Each performance in the mix deals with the desires and hopes of women, prompting the hashtag #Womanologues.
Talking about his experience of directing the monologues, he says, “As an actor, I have always been directed by some of the best people in the industry. I started performing monologues with the first season of Saat Teri Ekvees and then came back to perform for the second season as well. I feel monologues hone an actor’s skill, as one doesn’t have any other actor to support one’s performance, but just props. So, it pushes an actor to create that strong engagement with the audience for the entire span of the performance. As I wanted to gradually head towards directing, Mr Gadhia showed faith in me and gave me this opportunity.”
In his first venture as a director, Gandhi will be seen directing his wife, actor Bhamini Oza Gandhi, who will enact the monologue titled Apeksha – Desire Of Being Oneself. The 2 hour 30 minutes long play comprises monologues written by popular and successful writers in Gujarati theater, who interpret the overarching theme of desire through seven different stories based on seven female characters.
Shedding further light on Saat Teri Ekvees, which will premiere on July 23, 2022 in Ahmedabad, Gandhi shares, “For my directorial debut, we explored scripts revolving around desire from a woman’s perspective. Directing the #womanologues was a challenge and an absolute delight. Be it Survival, Intimacy, Being Oneself, Motherhood, Love or To Be Born or Appreciation, each mood is different, so is their energy. While some stories may evoke heart-warming smiles, others may evoke a soul-searching silence, but all will make one sit up and notice a woman’s soul with a new perspective.”
Apart from this, the actor has an array of Hindi films in the pipeline, including Atithi Bhooto Bhava, Dedh Bigha Zameen, Woh Ladki Hai Kahaan?, Dhoom Dhaam and an untitled project opposite actor Vidya Balan.
