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Vivek Oberoi | |
|---|---|
 Oberoi in 2016 | |
| Born | Vivek Anand Oberoi (1976-09-03)3 September 1976 (age 49) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2002–present |
| Works | Full list |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Father | Suresh Oberoi |
| Family | Oberoi family |
Vivek Anand Oberoi (born 3 September 1976) is an Indian actor and businessman.[1] The son of actorSuresh Oberoi, he began acting in 2002 with starring roles in theHindi crime filmCompany and romantic dramaSaathiya. His performances in them were praised and he won twoFilmfare Awards for the former. He subsequently had intermittent commercial successes in the comedyMasti (2004), horror filmKaal (2005) and action filmShootout at Lokhandwala (2007), while his supporting performance in the dramasOmkara (2006) andKurbaan (2009) were praised.
Following a decline, he had commercial success in 2013 with the sequelsGrand Masti andKrrish 3. He has since expanded toSouth Indian cinema, playing villainous roles in the action filmsVivegam (2017),Lucifer (2019),Vinaya Vidheya Rama (2019), andKaduva (2022).
Vivek Anand Oberoi was born on 3 September 1976[2] inHyderabad, Telangana, to aPunjabi father,Suresh Oberoi, an actor.[3] Vivek's mother Yashodhara, who married Suresh in 1974, is also a Punjabi, hailing from a business family that has been living inSouth India.[4] Because of such family background, Vivek has a working knowledge of bothTelugu andTamil.[5]
Oberoi went on to study atMayo College,Ajmer andMithibai College,Mumbai.[6] At an actors' workshop in London, he was spotted by the director ofNew York University who took Oberoi toNew York, where he completed his master's degree in film acting.[7]
Oberoi made his debut withRam Gopal Varma's gangster filmCompany. The film emerged as a critical and commercial success.[8] Jyoti Shukla ofRediff.com called it a "fast-paced film anchored by brilliant performances." She praised the performances ofMohanlal,Ajay Devgn, and Oberoi in particular, and said they are "a treat to watch."[9] Derek Elley ofVariety 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."[10] In 2010,Raja Sen wrote in his review: "This finely plotted duel between two gangsters left us battered, bruised and craving more".[11] The film earned him twoFilmfare Awards forBest Male Debut andBest Supporting Actor. The same year, he starred in the action filmsRoad andDum.[12] He ended 2002 with the romantic dramaSaathiya alongsideRani Mukerji. The film was a critical and commercial success and earned him a nomination for theFilmfare Award for Best Actor.[13]
In 2004, he starred in the comedyMasti and the political thrillerYuva, both of which emerged as critical and commercial successes.
In 2005, he played the title character inSubhash Ghai'sKisna: The Warrior Poet.[14] In 2006, Oberoi appeared in the crime dramaOmkara,Vishal Bhardwaj's adaptation ofShakespeare's playOthello,[15] playing the character of Kesu, based on the characterMichael Cassio in the original play. After seeing Oberoi's performance,Gulzar congratulated him.[16]
In 2007, Oberoi played the gangsterMaya Dolas inShootout at Lokhandwala.[17][18] The film earned him a nomination for theFilmfare Award for Best Villain.
In 2008, Oberoi starred inMission Istanbul, directed byApoorva Lakhia and produced byEkta Kapoor. He performed to the song "Apun Ke Saath", produced for the film byVikas Kohli, at the 2008International Indian Film Academy Awards.[19] It received negative reviews from critics.Bollywood Hungama criticTaran Adarsh gave it 1.5 out of 5 stars.[20]The Hindu stated thatMission Istaanbul has no sting.[21]Rediff.com gave it 1 star.[22][23]
In 2009, Oberoi starred withKareena Kapoor,Saif Ali Khan,Om Puri,Kirron Kher andDia Mirza in the romantic thrillerKurbaan, directed byRensil D'Silva and produced byDharma 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 byBox Office India.
In 2010, Oberoi appeared inPrince, which failed to receive a good response from the audience, despite a good opening.[24][25] Taran Adarsh ofBollywood 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 ofAOL 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."[26] On the other hand, Omar Qureshi ofZoom ratedPrince 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 aplomb[...]The 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."[27]
In the same year, he appeared inRam Gopal Varma'sRakht Charitra[28] playing the role of the Telugu politicianParitala Ravi.[29] 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 ofDNA 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."[30]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."[31] Nikhat Kazmi ofTimes 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."[32] Rajeev Masand ofCNN-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."[33]
Oberoi produced a film namedDekh Indian Circus in 2011.[34] The film was featured in the 16thBusan Film festival, winning the Audience Choice Award for Best Film from 3000 films worldwide and among 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 fromThe Hollywood Reporter,Variety andScreen International.[35] The film received overwhelmingly positive reviews from the critics. Richard Kuipers ofVariety praised it for "bringing the themes of inequality and class divisions together in the highly entertaining visit to the big top."[36] Kirk Honeycutt in his review forThe 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.[37]
Oberoi's filmKismat Love Paisa Dilli, which was released in October 2012, failed to impress the audience and was a box office failure.[38]
He also played supervillain Kaal inKrrish 3 (2013). Critics directed praise towards cast performances (particularlyHrithik 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.[39]Taran Adarsh ofBollywood 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."[40] Madhureeta Mukherjee ofThe 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."[41] Raedita Tandan ofFilmfare 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."[42] Anupama Chopra of theHindustan 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."[43] Sarita Tanwar ofDNA gave it 3.5 stars and wrote, "Krrish 3 is fast-paced and the VFX effects are smashing."[44] Rohit Khilnani ofIndia 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."[45] The film earned him his second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Oberoi dubbed the voice ofElectro in the Hindi-dubbed version ofThe Amazing Spider-Man 2, which was released in May 2014.[46]
In 2017, Oberoi made his Tamil debut in supporting role alongsideAjith Kumar in action thriller filmVivegam. The film received mixed reviews from critics.[47]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".[48]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".[49]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".[50]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".[51] The film earned him a nomination for theFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Tamil.
Oberoi worked withYRF banner's filmBank Chor, withRhea Chakraborty andRiteish Deshmukh.[52]
He also appeared inRam Charan starrer Telugu filmVinaya Vidheya Rama (2019), It received negative reviews from critics and became abox-office bomb, which prompted Charan to issue an apology letter.[53]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".[54]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".[55]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".[56]Firstpost gave 1.5 out of 5 stars stating "Realism has absolutely no place in the world of Vinaya Vidheya Rama".[57]
In 2019, Oberoi made his Malayalam debut withMohanlal inPrithviraj 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.[58]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 mandatoryStan Lee, correction, Antony Perumbavoor cameo, watch out for Stephen's second avatar in the film."[59]
He has featured as a talent judge for three seasons of the reality showIndia's Best Dramebaaz. He portrayed the role of India's Prime MinisterNarendra Modi inPM Narendra Modi.[60] The film was universally panned by critics, who termed it ahagiography and criticised Oberoi's performance.[61] Renuka Vyavahare ofThe 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".[62] Writing forThe 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".[63] Kennith Rosario ofThe 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, [and] that it makes you wonder if life is a parody of this film".[64]
In 2022, he starred in Malayalam language filmKaduva oppositePrithviraj Sukumaran. Despite receiving mixed reviews, it was a commercial success. Sajin Shrijith ofThe New Indian Express found Oberoi's character to be "basic".[65] He also starred in a short film,Verses of War.[66]
He then starred inMX Player seriesDharavi Bank alongsideSuniel Shetty.[67][68][69][70]
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Company | Chandrakanth Nagre | ||
| Road | Arvind Chauhan | |||
| Saathiya | Aditya Sehgal | |||
| 2003 | Dum | Uday Shinde | ||
| Darna Mana Hai | Amar | Segment:Ghostly Lift | ||
| 2004 | Yuva | Arjun Balachandran | ||
| Kyun! Ho Gaya Na... | Arjun Khanna | Also screenwriter | ||
| Masti | Meet Mehta | |||
| 2005 | Kaal | Dev Malhotra | ||
| Kisna: The Warrior Poet | Kisna Singh | |||
| Deewane Huye Paagal | – | Narrator | ||
| 2006 | Home Delivery: Aapko... Ghar Tak | Sunny Chopra | ||
| Pyare Mohan | Mohan | |||
| Omkara | Keshav "Kesu" Firangi | |||
| Naksha | Vicky Malhotra | |||
| 2007 | Shootout at Lokhandwala | Maya Dolas | ||
| Fool n Final | Lucky | |||
| 2008 | Mission Istaanbul | Rizwan Khan | ||
| 2009 | Luck by Chance | Himself | Cameo appearance | |
| Kurbaan | Riyaz Masood | |||
| 2010 | Prince | Prince | ||
| Rakta Charitra | Kattula Pratap Ravi | Bilingual film | ||
| Rakta Charitra II | ||||
| 2012 | Kismet Love Paisa Dilli | Lucky | ||
| 2013 | Zila Ghaziabad | Satbir Gujjar | ||
| Jayantabhai Ki Luv Story | Jayanta Bhai | |||
| Grand Masti | Meet Mehta | |||
| Krrish 3 | Kaal | |||
| 2016 | Great Grand Masti | Meet Mehta | ||
| 2017 | Bank Chor | Amjad Khan | ||
| 2019 | PM Narendra Modi | Narendra Modi | Also screenwriter | |
| 2022 | Versus of War | Major Sunil Bhatia | Short film | |
| 2025 | Kesari Veer | Zafar Khan | [71] | |
| Mastiii 4 | Meet Mehta | |||
| 2026 | Ramayana: Part 1† | TBA |
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Rakta Charitra | Kattula Pratap Ravi | Telugu / Hindi | Billingual film | |
| Rakta Charitra II | |||||
| 2017 | Vivegam | Aryan Singhania | Tamil | ||
| 2019 | Vinaya Vidheya Rama | Raja Bhai Munna | Telugu | ||
| Lucifer | Bimal ''Bobby'' Nair | Malayalam | |||
| Rustum | DCP Bharath Raj | Kannada | |||
| 2022 | Kaduva | IG Joseph Chandy | Malayalam | ||
| Khudiram Bose | Narendra Kumar Basu | Telugu | |||
| TBA | Spirit† | TBA | Filming; multilingual film | [72] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–2018 | India's Best Dramebaaz | Judge | 31 episodes |
| 2017–present | Inside Edge | Vikrant Dhawan | 28 episodes |
| 2022 | Dharavi Bank | JCP Jayant Gavaskar | 10 episodes |
| 2024 | Indian Police Force | IG Vikram Bakshi | 7 episodes[73] |
| Year | Title | Artist | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | "Dhokebaaz" (featuringTridha Choudhury) | Afsana Khan |
| Year | Title | Role (actor) | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Amazing Spider-Man 2 | Max Dillon/Electro (Jamie Foxx) | Hindi dubbed version | |
| 2020 | Dhira | Tenali Rama | ||
| 2025 | Heads of State | Will Derringer (John Cena) |
Oberoi's full first name, Vivekanand,[78] is based on that of the Hindu monkSwami Vivekananda; his father and grandfathers were followers of the monk.[79] He says he dropped Anand when he joined Film out of respect for Vivekananda, as he considered it would be embarrassing romancing and dancing on screen with the name of the monk.[79] Oberoi creditsKareena Kapoor as his inspiration for adopting avegetarian diet.[80]
Oberoi dated hisKyun! Ho Gaya Na... co-starAishwarya Rai. In 2003, Oberoi claimed that Rai's former boyfriend,Salman Khan, had threatened him.[81] In 2005, Oberoi and Rai broke up.[82]
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On 29 October 2010, Oberoi married Priyanka Alva, daughter of Karnataka ministerJeevaraj Alva, inBangalore.[83] The couple have a son and a daughter.[84][85]
Oberoi's company, Karrm Infrastructure Pvt Ltd., has donated 25 flats in theThane district of Maharashtra to the families ofCentral Reserve Police Force officers killed in action.[86][87] In all, Oberoi has donated about₹ 3 million and helped raise₹ 25 million.[88]
The alleged housing scam[89] involving Karrm Infrastructure Pvt Ltd[90] has impacted over 11,500[91] homebuyers across Mumbai, Shahapur, and Palghar. The Enforcement Directorate has provisionally attached assets worth ₹19.61 crore, citing misappropriation of ₹320 crore collected from buyers, which was diverted for personal use and lavish expenditures. The Bombay High Court has criticised the police's investigation and ordered the case to be transferred to the state CID's Economic Offences Wing.[92] Buyers have reported being misled by attractive advertisements and endorsements from celebrities, leading to financial distress and damaged credit scores due to unauthorised loans taken in their names. Despite legal actions and court interventions, many affected individuals are still awaiting justice and the fulfilment of promised housing.[93]
Oberoi is the only Indian actor[94][95] to be featured byForbes[96][97] for his philanthropic contributions in the areas of health, education, and disaster relief. His recognition highlights[98] a sustained commitment to social impact beyond his film career. Oberoi's work[99] includes support for cancer patients, initiatives in rural education, and active involvement in disaster relief efforts. This acknowledgment placed him among a select group of global celebrities noted for their humanitarian efforts.[98][100]
As part ofProject DEVI,[101][102][99] thousands of girls were rescued from child labour and poverty in Vrindavan.[103] The initiative, led by the Yashodhara Oberoi Foundation,[102][104] focused on promoting girls’ education and empowering women to achieve economic self-sufficiency. However, the absence of a social audit makes it difficult to verify how many beneficiaries were actually impacted on the ground. In 2021, he donated Rs 25 lakh to the fund created to overcome the shortage of oxygen cylinders in hospitals.[105]
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(...) a girl from a Punjabi business family who had lived in the south.
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