Vivek Oberoi

Vivek Anand Oberoi (born 3 September 1976) is an Indian actor. The son of actor Suresh Oberoi, he began acting in 2002 with starring roles in the Hindi crime film Company and romantic drama Saathiya. His performances in them were praised and he won two Filmfare Awards for the former. He subsequently had intermittent commercial successes in the comedy Masti (2004), horror film Kaal (2005) and crime film Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007), while his supporting performance in the dramas Omkara (2006) and Kurbaan (2009) were praised.

Following a decline, he had commercial success in 2013 with the sequels Grand Masti and Krrish 3. He has since expanded to South Indian cinema, playing villainous roles in the action films Vivegam (2017), Lucifer (2019), Vinaya Vidheya Rama (2019), and Kaduva (2022).

Early life

Vivek Oberoi was born on 3 September 1976 in Hyderabad, Telangana, to a Punjabi father, Suresh Oberoi, an actor. In 1974, Suresh married Yashodhara, who hails from a Punjabi business family settled in Chennai. Because of his mother’s family being assimilated in the region, Oberoi is himself fluent in Tamil.

Oberoi went on to study at Mayo College, Ajmer and Mithibai College, Mumbai. At an actors’ workshop in London, he was spotted by the director of New York University who took Oberoi to New York, where he completed his master’s degree in film acting.

Career

2002–2009

Oberoi made his debut with Ram Gopal Varma’s gangster film Company. The film emerged as a critical and commercial success. Jyoti Shukla of Rediff.com called it a “fast-paced film anchored by brilliant performances.” She praised the performances of Mohanlal, Ajay Devgn, and Oberoi in particular, and said they are “a treat to watch.” Derek Elley of Variety wrote: “By Bollywood standards, a dark and realistic look at the Mumbai underworld through the battle between a powerful don and his vengeful former sidekick, Company manages to cater to Hindi cinema norms while feeding the viewer something a little different.” In 2010, Raja Sen wrote in his review: “This finely plotted duel between two gangsters left us battered, bruised and craving more”. The film earned him two Filmfare Awards for Best Male Debut and Best Supporting Actor. The same year, he starred in the action films Road and Dum. He ended 2002 with the romantic drama Saathiya alongside Rani Mukerji. The film was a critical and commercial success and earned him a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.

In 2004, he starred in the comedy Masti and the political thriller Yuva, both of which emerged as criical and commercial successes. In 2005, he played the title character in Subhash Ghai’s Kisna: The Warrior Poet.

In 2006, Oberoi appeared in the crime drama Omkara, Vishal Bhardwaj’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s play Othello, playing the character of Kesu, based on the character Michael Cassio in the original play. After seeing Oberoi’s performance, Gulzar congratulated him.

In 2007, Oberoi played the gangster Maya Dolas in Shootout at Lokhandwala. The film earned him a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Villain.

In 2008, Oberoi starred in Mission Istanbul, directed by Apoorva Lakhia and produced by Ekta Kapoor. He performed to the song “Apun Ke Saath”, produced for the film by Vikas Kohli, at the 2008 International Indian Film Academy Awards. It received negative reviews from critics. Bollywood Hungama critic Taran Adarsh gave it 1.5 out of 5 stars. The Hindu stated that Mission Istaanbul has no sting. Rediff.com gave it 1 star.

In 2009, Oberoi starred with Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Om Puri, Kirron Kher and Dia Mirza in the romantic thriller Kurbaan, directed by Rensil D’Silva and produced by Dharma Productions. It received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its direction, screenplay, soundtrack, and performances of the cast, with particular praise directed towards Kapoor’s performance. However, despite critical acclaim, it was declared a flop by Box Office India.

2010–2019

In 2010, Oberoi appeared in Prince, which failed to receive a good response from the audience, despite a good opening. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama rated it 3 out of 5, saying “Prince has all merits to strike a chord with the youth”, praising Oberoi’s ‘bravura’ performance, the film’s ‘Hollywood style’ look and action sequences, as well as the music. Noyon Jyoti Parasara of AOL India gave 3 out of 5, saying, “once you are willing to let go off your beliefs and logic – like you really can’t jump off a cliff on your bike and remain unscratched – you would like the film.” On the other hand, Omar Qureshi of Zoom rated Prince 2.5 out of 5, saying, “The film is over-the-top and unrealistic.” Indiatimes.com rated it 2 out of 5 stars saying, “The film has taken the audience for granted, which shows us gadgets hard to believe and futuristic and that such futuristic shows should be limited to Hollywood.”. Subhash K. Jha gave 2 out of 5 stars, and said, “Prince wears its super-cool shirt with the slogan ‘Come Watch Me’ with a little bit too much aggression. But if you love popcorn crunching adventure stories watch Vivek Oberoi play the hero from the hemisphere of hijinks.” He praised Oberoi’s acting and the action sequences, saying that “To his credit, Oberoi carries off the ceaseless stint with the stunt with arresting aplombThe expertly-executed stunts frequently see our hero jumping down high-rise buildings in breathtaking leaps of fate, with the camera pulling back in respectful awe.”

In the same year, he appeared in Ram Gopal Varma’s Rakht Charitra playing the role of the Telugu politician Paritala Ravi. Oberoi’s performance in the role of Paritala Ravi drew widespread praise, while Abhimanyu Singh’s devious turn as Bukka Reddy, modelled on the real-life Obul Reddy, was regarded as one of the most terrifying villainous acts captured on celluloid in a long time. Renuka Rao of DNA India gave the movie 4 stars in a scale of 5, concluding that RGV has surprisingly thrown at the audience a film that could actually evoke some emotions in you. A must, must watch.” Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the movie 4 stars in a scale of 5, saying that “On the whole, RAKHT CHARITRA is not for the faint-hearted or the lily-livered. The violence, the blood and gore depicted in the film will shock and disconcert you, which only goes to establish as to how proficiently the subject material has been treated.” Nikhat Kazmi of Times of India gave the movie 3 stars out of 5, stating that “Rakta Charitra holds up a brutal mirror on the muck that masquerades as democracy in India.” Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN gave the movie 3 out of 5 stars, noting that “Rakta Charitra is a bold, disturbing film that’s bursting with the kind of confidence we haven’t seen from the filmmaker recently. If the sight of blood doesn’t make you uncomfortable, chances are you’ll enjoy this film.”

Oberoi produced a film named Dekh Indian Circus in 2011. The film was featured in the 16th Busan Film festival, winning the Audience Choice Award for Best Film from 3000 films worldwide and amongst 380 films screened. In 16 years of the history of Busan, this is the First Indian Film to win the award. The film has already received rave reviews from international critics and reporters from The Hollywood Reporter, Variety and Screen International. The film received overwhelmingly positive reviews from the critics. Richard Kuipers of Variety praised it for “bringing the themes of inequality and class divisions together in the highly entertaining visit to the big top.” Kirk Honeycutt in his review for The Hollywood Reporter, praised director Mangesh Hadawale for portraying third-world issues through a family comedy that contains a stinging satire of contemporary India and its rampant corruption.

Oberoi’s film Kismat Love Paisa Dilli, which was released in October 2012, failed to impress the audience and was a box office failure.

He also played supervillain Kaal in Krrish 3 (2013). Critics directed praise towards cast performances (particularly Hrithik Roshan, Kangana Ranaut and Oberoi), VFX, cinematography, background score, direction and entertainment value, but criticism has been directed towards the film’s lack of originality, soundtrack and writing. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the film 4.5 out of 5 stars and stated that “the film has all the ingredients that make a splendid superhero film, besides being Rakesh Roshan’s most accomplished work so far.” Madhureeta Mukherjee of The Times of India gave it 4.5 stars while commenting “For sheer vision, bravado and superlative execution, this one soars to new orbits. Latch on to this cape for an exhilarating ride.” Raedita Tandan of Filmfare awarded it 4 out of 5 stars, remarking “Hats off to Rakesh Roshan for dreaming big and actually pulling off this risky proposition. It’s not perfect. But it has all the elements a good, entertaining film must have. All you Marvel superheroes, better watch out. Krrish is here to stay.” Anupama Chopra of the Hindustan Times gave it 3.5 stars and said, “Filmmaker Rakesh Roshan deserves a round of applause for giving us a homegrown superhero. Krrish 3 is ambitious and exciting.” Sarita Tanwar of DNA gave it 3.5 stars and wrote, “Krrish 3 is fast-paced and the VFX effects are smashing.” Rohit Khilnani of India Today gave it 3.5 stars noting, “The only part where the movie dips are during the songs. The music sounds too dated for this action-packed film.” The film earned him his second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Oberoi dubbed the voice of Electro in the Hindi-dubbed version of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which was released in May 2014.

In 2017, Oberoi made his Tamil debut in supporting role alongside Ajith Kumar in action thriller film Vivegam. The film received mixed reviews from critics. The Times of India rated the film 3 out of 5 and said “Vivegam is an over-the-top but engaging action thriller with a calculated mix of brawn and brain, action and sentiment, smartly pandering to fans while giving families something to connect with.” NDTV rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and cited “Ajith Is Charismatic But Let Down By Silly Scenes”. Behindwoods rated the film 2.25 out of 5, stating, “Vivegam – High on production value and action. Heavily dependent on Ajith’s persona, engagement factor takes a beating”. Mirchi9 gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, saying “Overall, Vivekam is for the fans and fans alone for whom just watching the star on screen is enough. There is ample style and punch dialogues with a healthy dose of action. For everyone else, it is an utterly boring film”. Nowrunning rated the film 1.5/5 and said “Director Siva had collected a bunch of Spy movies from Hollywood and made a mashup of them. He picked up all the action blocks and combined it with loud background score which will only irk the audience. Even the action is also missing in the second half and there is no logic at all. The climax is stretched further which disappoints the audience”. The film earned him a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Tamil.

Oberoi worked with YRF banner’s film Bank Chor, with Rhea Chakraborty and Riteish Deshmukh.

He also appeared in Ram Charan starrer Telugu film Vinaya Vidheya Rama (2019), It received negative reviews from critics and became a box-office bomb, which prompted Charan to issue an apology letter. The Indian Express gave 1 out of 5 stars stating “Vinaya Vidheya Rama is like watching a Balakrishna action film on steroids. Clumsy and unconvincing screenplay”. The New Indian Express gave 1.5 out of 5 stars stating “If there is a plot and a story that is worth a notice, then it is lost between all the fights, songs, dances and random elevation dialogues”. Hindustan Times gave 0.5 out of 5 stars stating “The film itself feels dated. It is a mess that even Ram Charan – with all the weird stunts — cannot punch his way out of”. Firstpost gave 1.5 out of 5 stars stating “Realism has absolutely no place in the world of Vinaya Vidheya Rama”.

In 2019, Oberoi made his Malayalam debut with Mohanlal in Prithviraj Sukumaran’s directorial debut, Lucifer, as the main antagonist, Bobby, in which his performance as a villain was well received by critics and the audience. Times of India gave the film 3.5 out of 5 writing “Lucifer is a ‘mass entertainer’ that is sure to please the fans and has enough going for to make it an engaging thriller as well. And apart from the mandatory Stan Lee, correction, Antony Perumbavoor cameo, watch out for Stephen’s second avatar in the film.”

He has featured as a talent judge for three seasons of the reality show India’s Best Dramebaaz. He portrayed the role of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in PM Narendra Modi. The film was universally panned by critics, who termed it a hagiography and criticised Oberoi’s performance. Renuka Vyavahare of The Times of India gave the film two and a half stars out of five and criticised the script, opining, “This one is too lopsided for you to appreciate. It leaves a lot unanswered. While it firmly believes ‘Modi ek insaan nahi, soch hai’, we wish the script was as thoughtful”. However, she was among the few who appreciated Oberoi’s performance- “He gets the mannerisms, accent and tone right and thankfully doesn’t overdo it”. Writing for The Indian Express, Shubhra Gupta gave the movie two stars out of five and stated, “The film is not a mere bio-pic, it is a full-fledged, unabashed, unapologetic hagiography”. Kennith Rosario of The Hindu summarised the movie’s narrative as “a obsequious love letter” to the protagonist which tells the audience “how sincere, hardworking, fair and honest Modi is, that it makes you wonder if life is a parody of this film”.

2022–present

In 2022, he starred in Malayalam language film Kaduva opposite Prithviraj Sukumaran. Despite receiving mixed reviews, it was a commercial success. Sajin Shrijith of The New Indian Express found Oberoi’s character to be “basic”. He also starred in a short film, Versus of War.

He then starred in MX Player series Dharavi Bank alongside Suniel Shetty.

Personal life

Oberoi’s full first name, Vivekanand, is based on that of the Hindu monk Swami Vivekananda; his father and grandfathers were followers of the monk. He says he dropped Anand when he joined movies out of respect for Vivekananda, as he considered it would be embarrassing romancing and dancing on screen with the name of the monk.

He credits Kareena Kapoor as his inspiration for adopting a vegetarian diet.

Relationships and family

Oberoi dated his Kyun! Ho Gaya Na… co-star Aishwarya Rai. In 2003, Oberoi claimed that Rai’s former boyfriend, Salman Khan, had threatened him. In 2005, Oberoi and Rai broke up.

On 29 October 2010, Oberoi married Priyanka Alva, daughter of Karnataka minister Jeevaraj Alva, in Bangalore. The couple have a son and a daughter.

Philanthropy

Oberoi’s company, Karrm Infrastructure Pvt Ltd., has donated 25 flats in the Thane district of Maharashtra to the families of Central Reserve Police Force officers killed in action. In all, Oberoi has donated about ₹ 3 million and helped raise ₹ 25 million.

In 2021, he donated Rs 25 lakh to the fund created to overcome the shortage of oxygen cylinders in hospitals.

Accolades

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (December 2022)