 He’s
the hottest newcomer in town today. And just about everyone wants
to know everything about him. A week before the release of his first
film, Ram Gopal Verma’s Company, when we contact Vivek Oberoi for
a confab he assures us that it’ll happen. "Screen’s special because
it was in your paper that my father, Suresh Oberoi’s first interview
appeared. Now I’m waiting my turn. You’ll just have to waitfor an
hour or two." The hours race by... Vivek’s working out...Vivek’s busy
with one more photo session. Vivek’s too drained after too many talkathon...Vivek’s
catching a flight out of town. Vivek’s in the midst of a press conference
that stretches till way past midnight. Then just when you’ve given
up on him the phone trills. It 12.15 a.m. and Vivek’s at the Hotel
Meridian, Delhi. "I’ve just got in. Just let me step out of my shoes
and we’ll begin," he invites. But isn’t he exhausted. "I am," he sighs
tiredly. "But we have to talk now." You wonder how many interviews
he’s given through the week. "I stopped counting after 162," he says
with a laugh. Ah, now you know why they say he’s HOT. Excerpts from
the interview with the new hero who dares to be different and defies
all rules
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You
role in Company may not be negative but it has shades
of negativity. It certainly was a brave decision to debut
with such an unconventional film.
I don’t see it as a brave decision. Okay, may be most
newcomers start their innings with a romantic film but not
all love stories are successful. In fact, there’s no
surefire formula for success. As an actor I measure success
in terms of whether I have fulfilled my director’s vision
of the character. Perhaps Company is not a conventional launch
for a beginner but there’s no doubt that it is a great
film, that Ram Gopal Varma is great director and that I have
a great role in it.
Was Chandu, your character in the film, just a fantasy figure
or was he drawn from real life?
He was liberally borrowed from life, my experiences and memories,
my observations and interactions with the people I’d
lived with in a slum in Vikhroli when fleshing Chandu out.
How different is Chandu from Vivek?
Oh, very different. To get into his psyche, understand him,
I wrote an autobiographical sketch for him. I gave him a past
which was very different from mine. I had a great childhood,
growing up with parents whom I treated as my buddies. Chandu
loved his family too but he grew up watching his father hammering
his mother, in surroundings where fights were an everyday
occurence, slowly growing immune to the violence and believing
that weilding a gun was power.
You
think so too?
No way! My concept of power is the ability to create, to translate
ideas into reality. Creating something from thin air is perhaps
the most difficult job in the world. Put a pen and paper in
someone’s hand and ask him to draw a human face and nine
times out of 10 he’s stumped. Creating a human being
is even more complex, even more ardous because every human
being is a sum total of the collective memories, emotions
and experiences of so many different people. Human life, any
life for that matter, is precious and it’s criminal to
kill anyone or anything. Forget execution by the gun, I think
that even execution by hanging is wrong. What’s good
and bad are really relative terms at the end of the day and
while I agree that we may need to punish certain people for
the greater good of society, I don’t endorse the concept
of capital punishment.
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What
about assasinations in broad daylight that take place everyday with
alarming regularity because men like Chandu are handed the gun?
While living in the slum you must have befriended guys like him
and his ganglord.
I
did not interact with anyone who enjoyed real status in the underworld.
Those guys live on a different scale. But yes, I did meet guys like
Chandu who run small gangs and believe that they were a part of
the nexus when actually the powers that matter are completely unaware
of their existence. There’s a certain glamour associated with
crime and criminals in the minds of such unemployed youths most
of whom are disillusioned with society. Some stand up and fight
for a better life, others take their fight out into the streets
without realising that what they believe is their strength is actually
their weakness.
 Will
Company make you a cult hero like Bhiku Mhatre?
I don’t know what the film will do for me but I definitely
didn’t do it with the intention of becoming a cult hero. In
fact, I don’t even look like a hero in Company. I was told
by several people that I should make an attempt to look good and
endear myself to the girls. But I felt that this character needed
to look and feel real so people could identify and empathise Chandu.
I worked out everyday for an hour and 20 minutes to build up my
body which I coloured in shades darker than my natural tone. I grew
a beard and clipped it at certain places so it would look straggly
and ragged. I sprayed my hair and then mussed it up so it would
appear mangled and unruly. I wore chappals, my clothes were tight
and ill-fitting and my gait awkward. I knew I was killing the lover
boy image but at least my look was in keeping Ram Gopal Varma’s
conception of the character. And today, I’m encouraged when
the comman man refuses to believe that I’m the guy in the Company
promos because I appear so different in real life. Just today I
was carrying a poster of the film and I noticed the liftman at the
hotel looking from the poster to me with puzzled curiosity, wondering
if both of us were the same guys ! (Laughs)
Is
Company a sequel to Satya?
Bandit Queen and Satya are two of my favourite films but I don’t
think Company is anything like these two films. It’s like comparing
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge to Dil To Pagal Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota
Hai to Kaho Na...Pyar Hai. The ambience may be the same because
both films are set in the underworld but the story, the characters
and the emotions are different. Within the genre of Satya, Company
is a very individualistic film.
Were you influenced in any way by Satya?
I didn’t draw anything specific from the film but being an
actor I’m trained to observe. I’m constantly processing
data and creating memory banks. I mull over every film I go home
with. (Smiles) Satya made me slightly more grown-up. And I’ve
grown as a person and actor too with Company. It’s helped me
realise my averseness to crime as a solution to any problem. It’s
a weak mind that believes that and an absolute fallacy. Chandu also
helped me realise how much better off I was from the rest. I’ve
learnt to appreciate the opportunities that I was given and that
I had once taken almost for granted.
 Your
father (Suresh Oberoi) has given some power-packed performances
too. Which of them rank amongst your favourites?
I
liked him in many films. Mirch Masala, Lawaaris, Shradhanjali, Aitbaar,
Insaaf and of course, his first film, Ek Baar Phir. But there are
an equal number of films in which I didn’t like his character
and performance. What I admire about dad as an actor is the extent
of realism he can bring to his performances. In this respect he
was far ahead of his times.
To what extent is he involved with your career?
He
is involved with the uninteresting and awkward parts. He handles
dates, contracts and money matters that can get oh-so-boring. The
good stuff like story and music sessions are my domain. We have
our territories very clearly marked out. I don’t step on dad’s
toes and he respects me enough not to interfere with my choice of
films.
What about your mother?
Mom is a supremely content person who is really enjoying all the
attention I’m getting. She’d never imagined even in her
dreams that I’d get this kind of media hype but she is happy
to see that I’m happy.
Are you really enjoying the media attention? Giving interviews round-the-clock?
To be honest I’m quite indifferent to it all. For me what’s
important is that which is solid and consistent and I know that
all this hype is anything but consistent. Right now everything’s
inflated, a few weeks later things deflate. I don’t base my
evaluation on something that fluctuates so frequently and alarmingly.
 Getting
back to your family, how are your siblings reacting to the prospect
of suddenly having a star in their midst?
(Smiles)
My brothers love me a lot and they are very excited for me. I remember
the first time the promos of Company were aired there was turmoil
in our three-storeyed bungalow. My parents and siblings were racing
from one room to another flipping channels and shouting for me to
see myself on screen.
Your brothers are also a part of showbiz, right?
Well, my elder brother heads a production house and an ad agency.
The younger one has assisted on some projects. Right now he is in
the US working towards a degree in direction at a New York university.
I also have a sister, the baby of the house. She’s grown up
sharing my dream.
What
are the chances of the four Oberois collaborating on a film project?
The chances are dim. All of us have such strong personalities and
definite ideas about everything. It’d have to be one helluva
script to get us all together. I’m sure if my elder brother
did put such a script together I’d find reasons not to like
it or my younger brother would raise some objection. Even getting
dad to be a part of the film could prove difficult. These days he’s
leading a semi-retired life. Enjoying his golf, gardening and his
farmhouse.
Most of Ram Gopal Varma’s proteges are in awe of him. Are you
too?
I don’t know who’s greater, Ram Gopal Varma the man or
Ramgopal Varma the film-maker. I guess, both because one makes the
other. He’s so focused about what he wants yet works without
rigidity. He’s always open to suggestions, appreciates you
for your spontaneity and respects you for your improvisations which
if good are unhesitatingly incorporated into the script. Most directors
are so possessive about their project but not Ram Gopal Varma. And
I just love his approach to life. He really enjoys what he’s
doing. Even before Company is out in the theatres he’s already
moved on to his next project.
Which is Road, right?
Right. It’s almost 75 per cent complete. A film like Road has
never been made in India before. I’m sure it’ll open up
new avenues in film-making.
You’re doing another film with Ram Gopal Verma besides Road,
aren’t you?
Ram Gopalji is working on another script. Rock will be a musical.
What are your other films?
There’s Cineyug’s Dum. It’s a masala movie being
directed by National Award winning director E Nivas. What make the
film interesting is that a commercial subject is being treated within
an ambience that is very real. The performance of the protagonist
is not exaggerated or impossible. You won’t see him raise a
fist and fell 50 guys at a time. E Nivas has taken a tried-and-tested
formula and treated it in a very sincere manner with very real people.
 There’s
talk of you having replaced Abhishek Bachchan in Karan Johar’s
next film.
I don’t think Karan has signed anyone for his film, neither
Abhishek nor me. Yeah, he did speak to me about a film revolving
around two fascinating characters, to be played by Shah Rukh and
me. It was a brilliant script. But now I don’t think that film
is being made, not for the moment. Karan’s working on another
script and Nikhil Advani is making a film with Shah Rukh who’s
recovering from a bad back injury. I don’t work without a full
script. Once Karan is through with his scripit we’ll have a
sitting and if the character is as fascinating as the earlier one,
I’ll definitely be a part of Karan’s next film.
You’ve been approached by Farhan Akhtar too, we hear, for his
second film?
I’m doing a film being produced by Farhan and Ritesh Sidwani
which his sister Zoya is directing. There’s another film which
Farhan is directing himself. I haven’t committed to that project
yet, Farhan’s still working on the script with his father.
You must be flooded with offers?
I’m looking into a number of scripts. I met Subhashji (Subhash
Ghai) recently to discuss a project. Then I’m doing Saathiya
which is being co-produced by Mani Ratnam and Yash Chopra. Recently
I spoke to Ashutosh Gowariker. I thought his Lagaan was an amazing
film. Aamir was absolutely mind-blowing. Both he and Ashutosh have
done us proud. May be they didn’t bring home the Oscar but
their film was amongst the five best foreign films in the world
and that’s quite an achievement. I was reading The Spirit Of
Lagaan recently and it made me cry to learn about all the trials
and turmoil Ashutosh and Aamir had gone through to bring Lagaan
to life. (Laughs) Company was a cakewalk in comparison. Films like
Lagaan and Company are slowly but surely changing the face of the
Hindi film hero. And that’s the best thing that can happen
to an actor. Today, I’m working in four films and in every
one of them my role is different.
Is
there any film that you regret turning down?
There was an offer for a film to be produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra
and directed by Raju Virani. Munna Bhai MBBS was a great script
but I just could not coordinate the dates. But I could be working
with Vinod in another film. I loved the initial story idea. Now
Vinod is working on the script and once he’s through he’ll
give me a call. I really admire Vinod. I think he’s a great
maker.
Tell us something about Saathiya? Isn’t it a remake of Alai
Payuthe that turned Madhavan into a sensation down South?
It is a remake of Alai Payuthe. The soul and spirit is the same
but Gulzarsahab has rewritten the entire script, given it a more
North Indian feel. The film is being directed by Shaad Ali, he’s
Muzaffar Ali’s son. Shaad’s conceived the film in his
own way so while Sathiya and Alai Payuthe are the same film Saathiya
has its own identity. You won’t recognise in it many moments
of Alai Payuthe. It’s a love story revolving around Rani Mukherjee
and me.
How does it feel to be the hottest newcomer in town and all the
top makers making a beeline for you?
Hey,
all these guys are very senior film-makers. They’re not approaching
me, I’m the one who’s meeting them. I’m honoured
and privileged that they are considering me for their films. (Smiles)
It feels nice. It’s a dream for any actor to have these kind
of choices.
Don’t you feel a certain resentment amongst your contemporaries
and colleagues?
On the contrary Ajay Devgan was like an elder brother to me from
day one. After "pack-up" we’d go out together in
the evenings. He was a great companion and a considerate co-star.
So were Manisha (Koirala) and Antara (Mali).
Shah Rukh, it was reported, recently told someone that you looked
like Sharad Kapoor.
I take that as a compliment. May be Shah Rukh thinks I look like
Sharad Kapoor in Company but when he sees me in Saathiya with absolutely
no make-up I’m sure I’ll remind him of someone else.
Ajay Devgan has been raving about your performance and screen presence.
Ajay’s very generous in his praise. I’m not all that good.
For my performance in Company out of 100 I’d award 90 marks
to Ram Gopal Varma. It was his clarity of thoughts and his belief
in the character that really worked for me. Nine marks I’d
give the technical crew and my cast who supported me all through
the film. And may be I’d take credit for the remaining one
per cent.
What made you decide you wanted to be an actor?
An actor’s life is so interesting. You never know when your
co-star will blank out on stage in front of a live audience and
you’ll have to come up with some impromptu lines that tides
over the situation. You’re at Churchgate station, in khadi
kurta and jeans, in the middle of a stage play, when suddenly two
Pandu havaldars step out of the crowds and start wielding their
laathis. You realise that you’ve forgotten to take permission
to entertain audiences on the platform. There’s nothing for
you to do but run for your life, jump into a speeding local train
and then pray to God that you don’t fall into the clutches
of a TT because you had no time to queue up for a ticket. Only an
actor gets to play a woman in a school play without drawing cat
calls. Only an actor can walk into a party and whip up a completely
fictitious identity for himself and then when caught walk away with
a smile. Only an actor would sit in a bus or a train and rehearse
his lines in different voices, completely oblivious to the stares
he is drawing. Our life is a crazy adventure everyday.
At the end of a hard day’s work how do you chill out?
I like to be with my family and friends. A good book, lip-smacking
khaana, an interesting film playing on the DVD player, that’s
my idea of a lovely, lazy evening.
How do you handle the blank calls...the sackfuls of love letters?
I get letters but not many love letters.
So your girlfriend has no reason to feel insecure?
No, she knows I’m not here for girls to go ga ga over me. For
me the true certificate of acknowledgement is someone on the streets
calling me Chandu bhai. Acting is a passion. It’s my pursuit
of immortality. If I’m a part of a memorable movie I know I’ll
live on long after I’m gone. Gurpreet can understand and appreciate
that.
The other day your father was worrying about all the unnecessary
risks you take when on the sets.
(Laughing) Shuru shuru mein khoon garam rehta hai, you tend
to do crazy things. Some time ago I broke down a door in one shot
and crashed through panels of glass. Another day I jumped from one
building to another, 30-40 feet in the air, with no safety harness
or crash pad. For yet another film I leaped from the top of a speeding
truck into the middle of the Jaisalmer desert. I’ve taken risks
but I believed in my ability, in the ability of my stunt directors.
But now I’ll take more care, leave the risky business to the
double trained for the job. I know today that this body is a tool
for an actor and I should use it but not abuse it.
How did your girlfriend react to you taking such life-threatening
risks?
There were times when she’d be upset. "Why did you do
it?" she’d ask me. But at the end of the day I think Gurpreet
understands why I do these things. She can see the excitement in
my eyes when I’m on the set. It’s a different kind of
rush. Acting is my drug...my opium.
—Rosmila
Bhattacharya
roshmila@hotmail.com
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