Pratik Gandhi has spent nearly a decade portraying Mahatma Gandhi on stage, but stepping into the role for Hansal Mehta’s upcoming series Gandhi gave the actor an opportunity to explore the man beyond the familiar image. Speaking to Variety India on Gandhi Jayanti, Gandhi said his experience of playing the freedom fighter has been less about imitation and more about understanding the contradictions that made him human.

Pratik Gandhi on Mahatma Gandhi’s human side

The actor first played Gandhi in the Gujarati stage production Mohan No Masalo in 2015-16 and continued with the monologue for years. He now brings that experience to the screen, with the first season of Hansal Mehta’s series covering Gandhi’s life from the age of 18 to 45.