New Delhi:
Vivek Oberoi, who had a meteoric rise with hit films like Company, Road, Saathiya, Yuva, fell prey to Bollywood’s inside politics, forcing him to take up business as an alternative profession. Vivek, who had earlier talked about his entrepreneurial activities, opened up about a “dull phase” without work in an interview with Screen. The Masti actor recalled he had to sit at home for 14 to 15 months even after his song Ganpat from Shootout At Lokhandwala went viral. Vivek blamed Bollywood’s “lobby” culture which impacted his career in a significant way. Vivek told Screen, “I have done about 67 projects in 22 years, but the industry is a very insecure place. You could be performing well, winning awards, and doing your job as an actor, but at the same time, you can get no work for other reasons. After 2007 when I did Shootout At Lokhandwala, the Ganpat song went viral, I won awards, so I expected a lot of offers, but I didn’t get any. I sat at home for 14 to 15 months after the success of the film.”
“It was only around the 2009 mark when I decided I didn’t want to be completely dependent on this but build my economic independence. I didn’t want to be in a situation where a lobby could decide your future. Somebody could bully you into doing something because they controlled things,” Vivek said.
Vivek mustered the courage to shift the gear of his profession. Business, which he considered his Plan B, helped him to tide over tough situations, assuring financial independence. “Business was always a Plan B, and I decided cinema will be my passion. My livelihood should be my business, which helped me earn my independence and get out of that whole trap of lobbies, or having to sell your soul or suck up to somebody that is no great way to live at least for me. Some people make a living out of it but for me, that’s not the case,” the actor shared.
This is not the first time that Vivek has opened up about professional sabotage. Recalling the time when he faced public humiliation, online harassment, Vivek earlier told Entertainment Live, “In my case, the intensity was overwhelming. I faced trolling, public humiliation, and professional sabotage. Projects were snatched away from me after I signed them, and I received threats from the underworld. The police had to provide me with an armed guard and a gun.”
Vivek Oberoi has been married to Priyanka since 2010. She is the daughter of former Karnataka minister late Jeevaraj Alva and reputed dancer Nandini. The couple are parents to a daughter and a son – Vivaan Veer and Ameya Nirvana. Vivek Oberoi made his web debut with Rohit Shetty’s Indian Police Force this year.
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