Before establishing himself in the film industry with Ram Gopal Varma‘s Company, Vivek Oberoi experienced a humbling moment that completely transformed his approach to acting. Speaking in a recent interview, the actor revealed that a shoe was once thrown at him during a college theatre performance after he failed to take a minor role seriously. The incident, he says, became one of the biggest turning points of his career and taught him to approach every performance with sincerity, regardless of the size of the role.
Vivek Oberoi recalls the stage incident that changed his life
Speaking to CNN-News18, Vivek Oberoi reflected on his theatre days at Mithibai College, admitting that he initially carried a sense of entitlement because of his achievements and family background.Oberoi recalled, “When I was studying at Mithibai College, Mumbai, I tried entering a theatre competition. By then, I had earned several certifications, so I had immense confidence that I would definitely land the main role. I was sure this would happen at least after they find out whose son I am. This may have been a chip on my shoulder.”Instead, he was cast in a minor role as a guard with no dialogues.“They gave me a useless role which had no dialogues. I just had to stand in the background like a guard, holding a spear. Meanwhile, the guy who got the lead role kept forgetting his dialogues, which I remembered well. I was so frustrated, thinking, ‘I have earned so many awards, and you still made me a prop?’ In frustration, I stood there, leaning my head against the spear,” he said.The actor revealed that his casual attitude during the performance led to an unforgettable moment.“Suddenly, a shoe came flying towards me. Luckily, I moved my face, and the shoe hit my shoulder and fell behind me. I felt so angry and considered storming out.”However, it was what followed that left a lasting impact on him.“The person in front of me said, ‘You are such a big actor, and you can’t even do one small job right? Can’t you even stand straight? If you can’t even do this, what big role will you play?’ That hit me.”Vivek added that the criticism completely changed his mindset.“From then on, I vowed to do any role with full intensity. And before the end of that year, I was doing all the main roles.”
Vivek Oberoi on privilege and his father Suresh Oberoi‘s struggle
During the same conversation, Vivek acknowledged that he comes from a privileged background but stressed that privilege alone cannot build a career.“Privilege can buy you an introduction, not an identity,” he said.Calling his father, veteran actor Suresh Oberoi, his biggest inspiration, Vivek revealed that the senior actor began his own journey with very little.“He came from a very privileged background and a famous family. He was blue-blooded. But when he wanted to pursue a career, his family was against it. He borrowed Rs 400 from a friend and started his journey to Mumbai with that money.”Vivek also shared that he wanted to establish himself independently and even dropped his surname during the early days of his career.“I was initially known as Vivek Anand. When I eventually got my break, I saw tears of pride in my father’s eyes, and those were worth more than any award I have ever received.”
Vivek Oberoi’s breakthrough with ‘Company’
After years of preparation, Vivek made a remarkable debut with Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Company’ in 2002. His performance earned widespread acclaim and established him as one of Bollywood’s most promising young actors.He later starred in several successful films including ‘Saathiya’, ‘Masti’, ‘Yuva’, ‘Shootout at Lokhandwala’, ‘Omkara’ and ‘Krrish 3’, showcasing his versatility across romantic dramas, comedies, action films and crime thrillers.
Vivek Oberoi on the work front
Vivek Oberoi was last seen in ‘Mastiii 4’and will be seen in Nitesh Tiwari’s magnum opus, ‘Ramayana Part 1’ as Vidyutjiva alongside Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Sunny Deol, Arun Govil and Yash. Oberoi will also be seen in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s ‘Spirirt’ with Prabhas and Triptii Dimri.