Humble and unassuming to a fault, you may not even realise that you are standing next to a star. Dressed casually in jeans, T-shirt, and sneakers, he introduces himself with a warm smile and a handshake--“Hi, I am Vivek Oberoi”. But the man needs no introduction. The actor who has been in showbiz for the last two decades has given multiple superhits and several memorable performances. He was seen as Vikrant Dhawan, a complex yet ambitious character, in the third season of Amazon Prime Video’s successful show Inside Edge, Oberoi is on a roll. The series has once again enthralled the audience. Vivek believes that, "The storyline is the hero of the series and audiences love watching sports and glamour in one package."
Most recently, the talented actor was seen in Verses Of Wars. It touches upon the Indo-Pakistani conflict and highlights what happens when Major Sunil Bhatia, a brave officer of the Indian Army, is captured by his foes.
“I am shooting for a film and a web series and I promise to put out more work out there for people to appreciate my being in the industry,” says Oberoi suggesting that his fans will be seeing him often now.
Success has visited Oberoi sporadically. He debuted with Ram Gopal Varma’s Company in 2002 which won him several awards, like Filmfare award for best debut, and Zee Cine award for best male debutant. In 2007, his film Shootout at Lokhandwala was another big hit that won him accolades like IIFA award in the best villain category, Stardust award for standout performance. In 2019, Oberoi’s Malayalam debut Lucifer with Mohanlal won him widespread acclaim as a villain. Many of you would think that at 45, it is a late comeback, but Oberoi has a different take on it. He was busy grooming himself. “I have now found my rhythm and I am working on six projects simultaneously,” he says.
Inside Edge was the first original Indian series to be made for Amazon Prime Video in 2017. After the phenomenal success of the first two seasons, Season 3 continues to explore the dark underbelly of cricket, with “the game behind the game” becoming more intriguing. “I did Inside Edge when OTT was not even a thing. People told me that it might harm my career, but I believed in the show and the medium. The series received positive critical reception and was nominated for the Best Drama series at the 46th International Emmy Awards (in 2018). That was huge for me as an actor.”
The third season feels like a homecoming, says Oberoi. He accepts that he has a “strange fondness” for the character Vikrant Dhawan. “Vikrant and I are not at all similar in the way we look at life and choices we make in real life, but somewhere there’s an affinity—we are maybe two sides of the same coin.” He says it has been a difficult character to portray. “It’s easy to go overboard and overact while playing Vikrant. He has a mask on all the time and is always trying to manipulate someone. So having to play such a character and ensuring that it doesn’t look fake was not easy. The real challenge was to bring in the new side of the character to the audience. All of this wasn’t a cakewalk. I was extremely nervous on the first day of my shoot for this season. I kept calibrating every shot and I kept asking my director Kanishk Varma many questions during the shoot,” he confesses.
But none of his nervousness is evident in the show. And if you are wondering how he manages to play his characters with such finesse, the credit goes to the research, the hard work, and the meticulous approach that he puts into all his projects. He explains, “I sit down and write a fictitious autobiography of the character that I play. I have been doing it since the first film as it helps me in understanding the character better. I follow his back story and it allows me to connect with the character.” He accepts there are times when it gets difficult to detach the character. “But I have found a trick to reset—I just do a video call with my kids and it instantly shakes off the residue of the characters in my mind.”
About his relationship with his father, the veteran actor Suresh Oberoi, he says, “Of course, I can’t ignore the comparison but that has never bothered me. I focus on working hard every day.” The actor agrees that it’s a privilege to have a film background but “it should not be about whom you know, rather what you know.” On the subject of nepotism, he adds, “I don’t focus on nepotism. If you are talented then you’ll achieve success, irrespective of some lobby or compromising on a role or selling your soul. Success is purely based on your hard work and talent. Nothing else matters and we need to nurture that.”
The actor understands that criticism is a part of life and takes it positively. His film journey hasn’t been easy. “The journey for me has been tumultuous.” Oberoi has had his share of ups and downs but what kept him going strong were his family, friends, and fans. “I have always looked at my life and said—‘Hey, it would make an ultimate autobiography one day, so keep going’,” he chuckles. The ups and downs have allowed him to stay grounded. “It taught me not to take success to my head. Also, I don’t take things for granted now,” he says. The actor credits his fans for keeping him motivated. “There was a time when I was depressed and upset and wanted to give up. But I am fortunate to have a supportive family and friends who stood by me. Also, my fans have cheered for me unconditionally. In my darkest hours, it’s their love that kept me going. Today, I feel blessed and thankful.”
Will there be season four of the series? “If you ask me if I would be excited about essaying Vikrant Dhawan in season 4, then my answer would be ‘hell ya!’”
from Firstpost Bollywood Latest News https://ift.tt/PxKEO8M
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