It’s in the public domain that Pratik Gandhi, the Gujarati actor Hansal Mehta presented with such aplomb as Harshad Mehta in Scam: 1992, will be playing the role of a lifetime in a mega-series on Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Officially announcing it on Gandhi Jayanti this year, Pratik had revealed that the prestigious show would be made by Hansal Mehta, based on historian Ramachandra Guha’s book on Gandhiji.
After Pratik made viewers sit up in October 2020 with his flawless portrayal of Harshad Mehta, he was occasionally seen in ensemble shows like The Great Indian Murder. But for admirers who looked forward to watching him play another substantial pivotal character, Hansal Mehta’s Gandhi will be the answer.
All this, however, has been known since the official announcement in October. The big question thereafter has been, who will play Gandhi’s wife Kasturba? On the big international screen, Richard Attenborough had cast Rohini Hattangadi in the role of Kasturba in his Oscar-winning film Gandhi. Rohini was the first Asian to win a BAFTA (British Academy of Film & Television Arts) Award as Best Supporting Actress for playing Kasturba in 1982.
Who’s the new Kasturba who has stepped into Rohini’s shoes? At a recent wedding reception hosted by the Vinay Sinha family, the producers of The Great Indian Murder, a pretty, petite actress was spotted at Pratik Gandhi’s table. It was Gujarati actress Bhamini Oza who was recently seen in Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery. Sources revealed that Bhamini auditioned for and has bagged the plum assignment of Kasturba in Hansal’s show. Incidentally, Bhamini is Pratik’s wife in real life too. Bhamini Oza and Pratik Gandhi were married in 2009 and are parents to nine-year-old daughter Miraya.
So, the real-life Gandhi couple will be playing the reel Gandhi couple on OTT next year. It’s a bet that Bhamini and Pratik will be the most celebrated couple of 2024 as they embark together on project Gandhi.
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