Actor Vivek Oberoi burst on the screen with films such as Company and Saathiya. Establishing himself as an actor who can play the boy-next-door and a dreaded gangster with the same ease, it appeared that the actor was here to stay, but in Bollywood, things can be ephemeral despite talent and hard work. The actor faced a dull phase despite his films working and had to sit at home for a long period of time. Vivek, however, had his Plan B in place all along. Twenty-two years later, Vivek is a successful entrepreneur running multiple businesses across industries, which he juggles with his film career. He lives in Dubai and keeps his passion for acting alive still. In an exclusive conversation with SCREEN, the actor revisits his journey, and his Chocolate Boy era, and also reveals how he had to switch to business to counter the efforts of a lobby that existed within the industry.

Talking about facing concerted efforts against him in Hindi film industry, Vivek shared, “I have done about 67 projects in 22 years, but the industry is a very insecure place. You could be performing well, winning awards, and doing your job as an actor, but at the same time, you can get no work for other reasons. After 2007 when I did Shootout At Lokhandwala, the Ganpat song went viral, I won awards, so I expected a lot of offers, but I didn’t get any. I sat at home for 14 to 15 months after the success of the film. It was only around the 2009 mark when I decided I didn’t want to be completely dependent on this but build my economic independence. I didn’t want to be in a situation where a lobby could decide your future. Somebody could bully you into doing something because they controlled things.”

Sharing how venturing into business gave him the independence he always needed, Vivek also added, “Business was always a Plan B, and I decided cinema will be my passion. My livelihood should be my business, which helped me earn my independence and get out of that whole trap of lobbies, or having to sell your soul or suck up to somebody that is no great way to live at least for me. Some people make a living out of it but for me, that’s not the case.”

Currently, Vivek has three films in the pipeline and is promoting his firm Solatrio that sells lab-grown diamond jewelry. But sharing one lesson he has learned through his 22-year-long journey in Bollywood, the actor says, “I was stressed about so many things, took so much tension, it was just not worth it. Life finds its way to sort it out, there is a karmic score — you do good, you will get that back; if you do bad, you will receive it too. Somebody may seem very successful and important, but inside he could be empty, sad, and lonely, that’s their score. Life is about choices, even today if you choose good, your life will start changing from tomorrow. It is we who don’t do things then we blame god and destiny. It’s more like we have become human doings rather than human beings.”