As Long As My Phone Rings For Work, I Consider Myself Successful: Vivek Oberoi

Actor Vivek Oberoi started off his career on a high note with the film Company (2002). He established himself as the new heartthrob in Bollywood, after the romantic drama Saathiya (2002). However, after a series of flop films such as Fool N Final (2007) and Kismet Love Paisa Dilli (2013), many filmmakers wrote him off. However, this hasn’t dampened Vivek’s spirits.

“I don’t believe in analytics, I believe in living my life. If I start spending time analysing my choices, I will not be able to live my life. Success or failure is very relative. If I believe had I failed after Shootout At Lokhandwala (2007), then I wouldn’t have been around. I wouldn’t have had success with films such as Grand Masti, Krrish 3 or Prince. I wouldn’t be around at all. For me, a simplistic way of looking at life was that if my phone still rings and the other person says that ‘I have a role for you in my film’ I am successful,” he says.

The actor, who has experimented with various genres and roles, does not believe in categorising his work.

“ I have never believed that characters are negative or positive, white or grey. Shade cards are for paints, not for actors. Anything that I find interesting, I become that person and then it’s done,” says the actor, who currently stars in a web series.

In his career spanning over 15 years, the actor, who made his debut with Company, never found it difficult to portray different roles. “The minute I am off camera, I am done. In the initial stages of my career I did a lot of experiments. I did Company and lived in slums for it and researched. After I would finish shooting for a film, it would be a little difficult to shake the character off but now after my shoot I believe that you have to shake it off otherwise it starts becoming a part of you,” he says.