Vivek Oberoi Went Against His Mentor To Do Rani Mukerji Starrer Saathiya: He Was Furious

Vivek Oberoi has been in the news owing to his performance in the recently released web series Indian Police Force. Earlier, in some interviews, the actor opened up about his struggles during the initial years of his career despite being the son of veteran star Suresh Oberoi. In a recent interview, the actor recalled changing clothes in restaurant washrooms and sleeping on benches during the shooting of Saathiya. He also revealed how everybody advised him against doing the romantic film.

Vivek Oberoi recalls the hardships he endured during the filming of Saathiya

Speaking to Humans Of Bombay, Vivek recalled the time he was shooting for Saathiya, co-starring Rani Mukerji when his debut film Company didn't release. He revealed that when he was shooting railway scenes, he used to sleep on the benches as they had no budget. "I used to change clothes in restaurant toilets because I didn’t have a makeup van. We had to shoot four scenes in a day. We were shooting for 18-20 hours a day. There was a time when I was carrying equipment, I had gone back to my assistant days after my debut," the actor added.

However, everything changed after the release of the film Company. People started recognising him during the shoot of Saathiya and used to flock to the sets, chanting "Chandu Bhai". This sudden surge of attention led to the actor being escorted out of the location in a police van. Even the securities were beefed up around the set.

Why did people advise him not to do Saathiya?

In the same segment, Vivek revealed that everybody said don’t do Saathiya as he was introduced as an action hero and Saathiya was a romantic drama. "'You are an action hero. How can you do a love story?’ But that wasn’t the film. My mentor, Ram Gopal Varma, was furious. He said ‘No, don’t do this film.’ I was like better than taking permission, I will ask for forgiveness," the actor said.

Recalling what hanged her mind was when Saathiya director Shaad Ali, his school friend, called him home and made him watch Mani Ratnam's Alaipayuthey, the film Saathiya was based on. By the end, the actor was “bawling” and decided to accept the offer.

The film opened to positive reviews from the audience and critics and grossed ₹219.2 million. It became the eighth highest-grossing film of the year.