India Today
B-Town actor Vivek Oberoi recently opened up about his journey in an interview with Hindustan Times, where he shared how Bollywood was made into this ‘exclusive club’ where surnames matter more than talent. However, Vivek Oberoi plays a key role in the new web show, Inside Edge Season 3.
Vivek opened up about whether he regrets any of his mistakes in the past, “Regret is not the word I would choose. I believe you regret when you are not happy where they got you. If you take a wrong turn, and it is a bumpy road and you land at a place where there is nothing but scenic beauty around you. Then you thank that bumpy road. I am in that space where every single part of my journey, I treasure and I smile about it and laugh about it.”
He further added, “As far as practical aspects of it, being ….(sounds funny when I say it) being a senior who has been around for 20 years, I do feel we have missed a trick or two. One big complaint that I have against my industry is that we haven’t developed the nursery that nurtures young talent. It is difficult. We made it into this exclusive club where it is either surname or who you know or which lobby or which darbar you do a salaam at… that matters, not your talent. That’s unfortunate.”
Meanwhile, Vivek Oberoi said about his father Suresh Oberoi, “I had a crisis of conscience. I idolise my father. Vikrant Dhawan is hugely inspired by a performance of my dad’s. He did a film in the 1980s, called Shradhanjali. A film where he plays a Laxmi Narayan, who is this villain with a smile. It was something unheard of in the 1980s. It was always people who are screaming and shouting, playing almost Raavan in Ramleela. So, I have always admired him.”
However, calling Bollywood an ‘exclusive club’, Vivek stated, “For any industry to thrive, for any industry to grow, you need fresh ideas, you need people coming in and you need to be a welcoming space and not a space that goes on (to say), ‘Listen this is an exclusive club, and unless you have the right surname or the right contact, you are not in. That, to me, is unfortunate. I love that the OTT is playing the part of that nursery where we are discovering and nurturing stars as we watch content online. We watch The Scam 1992 and Pratik Gandhi becomes a star. That gives me great joy.”
Moreover, Mr. Oberoi included, “That is something I (also try to do) in my own small, humble way. I attempt to bring in fresh talent, support new actors and remove any kind of hierarchical structure in the movies that I do. When I did this show (Inside Edge), for the small women empowerment story that I have in my head, I requested Excel (producers Excel Entertainment) to put Richa Chadha’s name above mine. Even though technically, I have been in the industry longer than her, I said ‘no let it be starring Richa Chadha and then Vivek Oberoi. That is fine’ and that is something I celebrate. I celebrate all my women colleagues, I celebrate Richa as a great actor and I am fortunate to have worked with her. That equanimity, that sense of doing away with all hierarchical structures and just being creative people having fun on sets, is what should drive it.”