Shubham Maheshwari on Belonging, Breakthroughs, and Becoming Gat Patil

Styling by Brandon Laughton, Photos by Akash Tucker, Grooming by Lateisha Grant, Talent Shubham Maheshwari, PR ID PR, for Our Era Magazine.

When I first watched We Were Liars, I kept circling back to Shubham Maheshwari. There’s something about the way he carries Gat — the quietness, the outsider energy and unspoken ache of wanting to belong. It’s one of those performances that feels lived-in, as if he’s not playing a character so much as pulling something deeply familiar out of himself.

Talking to him later through his own words, I realized that was exactly the case. “Every time Gat felt like an outsider, no matter how hard he tried to fit in, that hit me right away,” he says. “I know that feeling, and I think most people do to some extent.”

For Shubham, the dream of acting was always there, even when his résumé pointed somewhere else. He majored in Economics, interned at a consulting firm, and told himself he’d need a “realistic job.” But it never lit him up. “Acting was always the dream,” he admits. “The other stuff was just something I thought I’d have to do. It was never a passion.”

The moment We Were Liars became real wasn’t on set — it was online. “The first real ‘this is happening’ moment was when the teasers and trailers started dropping. Seeing it out there for the world made it feel a lot more real while still somehow feeling surreal at the same time.”

That duality — real and surreal — seems to define his path so far. He tells me, “Someone who met me five years ago might just be shocked that I’m still the exact same height.”

What shifted his approach to Gat was an unlikely encounter before filming even began. At a party, David Morse — who plays Harris Sinclair — described his own prep work with such passion that Shubham went home and rethought everything. “I built a much deeper backstory for Gat, and it turned out to be incredibly helpful later.” You can see it most clearly in episode seven, when Gat reflects on the weight of growing up around Harris. “It’s beautifully sad and wonderfully written. It wasn’t exactly my own experience, but parts of it resonated deeply.” Fans felt it too. “So many people reached out on Instagram to say they connected to it. That’s one of the most rewarding parts of this job.”

But We Were Liars wasn’t all intensity. “Hearing Esther’s laugh or just hanging out with Joseph are up there,” Shubham says, remembering the set with warmth. “One of my favorite things might have been sneaking off to the craft table with Esther whenever we got the chance. We were the only two who were always hungry. Great food, great company — honestly, the perfect break.”

Those off-camera moments fed the on-screen chemistry. “It helps so much when your co-stars are just as passionate about the project as you are,” he says. “You know that they’ve done their prep too, which creates this unspoken connection.” He credits Morse for teaching him about truthfulness in performance and Rahul for offering encouragement as someone who broke into the industry in a similar way. “Rahul’s someone I can always count on for advice. That’s truly calming to know.”

Not every challenge was emotional. Nova Scotia in June looked like summer but felt like winter. “We were shirtless on the beach for a lot of it. The trickiest part was pretending we were having this perfect summer beach day.” He laughs, but adds that the crew kept them warm and cared for between takes.

The project shifted everything. “I used to think I’d always keep Economics as a backup, but now I hope I never need it.” A class in Toronto with Brad Milne sealed it. “It made me fall in love with the craft on a deeper level. I think it’s also made me more in touch with my emotions overall.”

Off-camera, he feeds that hunger by watching the legends. “Lately, I’ve been on a Marlon Brando spree. Watching his films just makes me want to work, and work, and keep working. Watching great performances reminds me that I still have so much to learn and improve on.”

And when it all gets too big? His anchor is family. “Their support has been constant and unconditional. My brother especially has been incredible, the kind of support anyone would be lucky to have. I feel genuinely blessed to have the family I do.”

As for what’s next, Shubham doesn’t hesitate. “I want to try all kinds of roles over the course of my career. If something scares me, that’s usually a sign I need to do it because that fear means I care deeply about it. The scarier it is, the harder I’ll work.”

Watching Shubham as Gat, you can feel the weight of an outsider’s longing, but you also catch glimpses of what makes him different: the drive, the hunger, the humor that sneaks in when you least expect it. If We Were Liars is just the beginning, it’s a beginning that already feels unforgettable.