Pratik Gandhi on what’s making ‘Madgaon Express’ such a laugh riot

Recently released comedy film ‘Madgaon Express’ is winning audiences over with the laugh riot brought about its three male protagonists – Pratik Gandhi, Avinash Tiwary and Divyenndu Sharma. ‘Madgaon Express’ is the debut directorial venture of Kunal Kemmu, who has also written the film.

Adgully spoke to actor Pratik Gandhi, who essays the role of a Gujju boy in this film. In the freewheeling interview, Pratik speaks exclusively about the success of the film, how he worked on the character, the challenging part of doing comedy, and much more.

How has the response to the film been so far?

‘Madgaon Express’ is getting a mad response from everyone. I am very, very happy for this kind of response. I would not say that I was not expecting it. The most overwhelming response that we have got from almost everybody – across age groups, different states, people who know me – is how much they have laughed while watching the film after such a long time. So, I guess somewhere people were waiting to laugh together!

How did you prepare for your role?

Comedy is not easy. To be honest, I did not do any special prep for my role. The only thing is that our approach to comedy was special. I firmly believe that comedy, specifically jokes, will have to be delivered in a certain way for it to land properly. The most important thing is that actors should know when to stop and not stretch it further. It becomes even more important in the case of physical humour, otherwise it will become too loud and cringy if it doesn’t land properly. While all of this may sound very theoretical and complicated, it is actually quite simple. Also, one has to be careful that the humour is not below the belt, because you have to offer clean comedy that the entire family can watch together.

Your chemistry with Avinash Tiwary and Divyenndu Sharma is also being appreciated a lot. How did you work on that? Was there any special workshop before going into the shoot or did you all stay together while working on the film? 

There was no workshop per se. But before we started shooting, I, Devyenndu, Avinash and Kunal went on a holiday together for three days, where we read the script multiple times. And since all four of us were together, we had ample time to discuss a lot of different things, including films that we have seen and have been a part of. So, I guess that worked very well. It was Kunal’s idea so that we got to know each better as all of us were meeting each other for the first time.

Was there any part of your role that was a bit challenging for you? 

That cocaine overdose scene was a little challenging, because when you play drunk or someone high on drugs, it is a very slippery space where you could easily go a little overboard and end up being very loud and caricature-ish. To make this particular sequence believable – that a person is going through a weird experience where his mind and body are not under his control – was a challenging experience.

I did practise something physically, where he says that his jaw is getting stuck and he is not able to speak properly. I had a couple of versions and variations that I discussed with Kunal of approaching that scene. First of all I wanted to know how that drug works, for which I read a couple of articles on it. So, accordingly I just created some rough graph in my mind that we will start from here. When the jaw is getting tighter, it is difficult for him to speak. Then suddenly nosebleeds start because of that. Then he becomes absolutely Rambo on the road. After that the moment the drug hits the downer, he goes into depression.

Does it help when your director is also an actor and the writer?

It definitely puts you in a comfortable position. Kunal is a good actor and since he has written and directed this film, if he is telling you that he sees this particular sequence in a certain way, then it is easier for me to put faith in that. He must have spoken to a lot of people, because when Kunal has written almost all the lines in detail, I didn’t have to change anything. If I just deliver those lines with proper timing and belief, it will land. So, that makes my job quite easier.

Given a chance, would you want to play any other character apart from Pinku?

Apart from Pinku, I would like to play all the different characters in this film – from Mendoza bhai to Kanchan Komdi to Ayush, who is very stylish. Devyendu’s character is not easy to perform. I would love to perform that character, because he is a guy who is high on energy, high on life. You know, always playing on the front foot, a little larger-than-life.

Do you think this film has helped you to change your image?

It was a pleasant surprise for us. I like to be in that zone where nobody can expect any particular thing from me. Rather than being open when they see me on screen or on stage, they should not know what is coming there, because that gives me an open ground to create different characters.

What more can one expect from you this year?

There are a couple of films which are ready after this. Recently another film, ‘Do Aur Do Pyaar’ has been released which is a rom-com. So, I am quite excited for that as I dont think people have seen me doing something like that before. After that, I have a film with Excel Entertainment – ‘Agni’, which is a film on firefighters. That film is also ready to get announced anytime. I am looking forward to that. I am currently shooting for ‘Gandhi’, a web series, which is the biggest project of my life. I’m very, very excited to play Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.