Vivek Oberoi: I hold the record for most obituaries written for someone’s career

Vivek Oberoi describes himself as a ‘comeback kid’ who keeps bouncing back despite the naysayers.

His career has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride – from major highs to lowest of lows. But Vivek Oberoi says throughout his career, which began in 2002 with crime drama Company, people have written him off so many times that he has lost count.

Vivek Oberoi says he refuses to listen to negative people.

“I feel that I hold the record of the most number of obituaries written for someone’s career. I’ve seen so many Fridays where in people have said, ‘Oh! This time he is over’. But I’m the comeback kid. I keep bouncing back. It has been a fun ride,” he says.

However, Vivek has never let that affect him in any way and he explains how he does that. “I use this trick, this brilliant thing the universe has given me which is the power of choice. I choose to completely ignore the naysayers. Anything negative comes, I just throw it out,” he says.

The major reasons why the 43-year-old remains unaffected is because he is more than just a film actor and is also a businessman and philanthropist. “I’m lucky that I branched out beyond films. I’m much fulfilled. It has made me economically empowered that I don’t have to work for money. I work for pleasure and for the joy of the art,” adds the actor, who currently stars in the second season of web series, Inside Edge.

Vivek, the son of actor Suresh Oberoi, also says that he is also one of the very few actors who has believed in disrupting the norms every single time. When he was starting off, he rejected a film which was backed by his father and was written by director duo Abbas-Mustan. Instead, he opted for an unconventional debut with Company and then he never really stuck to a particular genre be it crimes dramas, comedies or romantic films.

“The trend was that beta vilayat se padhayi karke ayega aur papa ek rocket ki tarah use launch karenge. And the trend was that you would make a complete showreel of a film in which you would show your dancing, riding horses, wearing designer clothes and romance girls. I had crises of conscience and opted out of the whole golden spoon being handed out to me,” Vivek says.