9th May 2023 Mumbai: In an exclusive interview, actor Vivek Oberoi discusses his career decisions in great detail as he enters his third decade.
Vivek Oberoi began his career as an actor with Ram Gopal Varma’s Company more than 20 years ago. In his third decade, Oberoi has participated in around 50 projects, and he is wisely choosing the assignments he works on.
“I already know the films that I’ve done solely for financial gain or recklessly, as a result of acting insecurity. I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t need to do it anymore from where I am today,”says Oberoi. He describes the “empowering feeling” of his position without seeming pretentious.
In his own words, “When you feel you don’t have to do something for any other reason, other than the joy and passion of it, then whether it’s a success or a failure, it’s an attempt that works or doesn’t, it doesn’t matter. You are confident enough to support something you love, believe in, or are attempting to do differently after working in the sector for 20 years.”
As an example, he uses his streaming programme Inside Edge: “When nobody was doing OTT, I was doing the show. It led to my extraordinary success, as seen by all the accolades and Emmy nominations. Knowing that this is what I can accomplish made me feel incredibly fulfilled.”
He thinks back to anotherr choice he made, which was to make films in the South. “I made the decision to make a movie in each of the Southern dialects. Even though I was aware that I couldn’t even collect the price in other languages for what I charged in Hindi. So you forego a pay rise and work harder in a language that is not your native tongue”, he explains.
Responsibility also comes with experience. Oberoi acknowledges accepting responsibility for attempting to create a “egalitarian environment” on the set. “I’m always a phone call away for anyone experiencing any kind of problem, bullying, or anything similar with whatever project I’m working with or over which I have authority. I won’t play the ‘senior-junior’ role on the set.I’m really open about wanting an inclusive environment on set,” he concludes.
-by Kashvi Gala