He is one among the few actors in Bollywood who likes to get into the skin of the character, and for that he does extensive research and homework. He had done it for his debut role as Chandu in Company and for the role of Maya Dolas in Shootout at Lokhandwala . You have guessed it right; the supposition is for Bollywood's once termed ‘new angry young man' Vivek Oberoi.
The actor was here for the launch of his latest film Prince and on the sidelines he squeezed a few moments for The Hindu Metro Plus, to talk about his new film, upcoming films, his preferences and philanthropy.
The actor says, “The roles of Chandu and Maya were near to life characters. In fact Maya's character was a factual one. And for that I did spend time with the people in the slums and small time ‘gangster' type characters and the police to learn the finer points of the subject. But the role in Prince is totally fictional. But even then I spent about five months to train in action sequences, motorcycle stunts and martial arts. That's the homework I had done for this film and believe me I have done all the death defying stunts by myself at live locations and have not employed a stuntman.”
Vivek says that he did perform some breathtaking stunts in the film. “There is a shot where I am seen hanging from a helicopter, just clinging to one hand, at a height of about 8,000 feet somewhere in the Himachal Pradesh and a motorbike chase through high-rise buildings. Both are thrilling and both the shots needed some dare devilry,” says he. Prince was released Pan-India on Friday and was released simultaneously in three languages: Hindi, Telugu and Tamil.
Talking about his film, which is termed by the industry experts as his comeback film, he says, “ Prince is a fast paced slick action thriller, which will keep you on the edge of your seat with its twists and turns. It is the story of one of the most quick-witted thieves in the world who only commits multi-million dollar and edge of the seat heists.
One fine day he wakes up to find that someone has stolen his memory and that's where the real story begins…Every day he meets a new girl claiming to be his fiancée Maya... Every cop and criminal in the country is out for his blood… He doesn't remember where he has hidden the heist…He doesn't know which side of the law he is on… His life is at stake… The future of mankind is at stake… Prince has no one but himself to trust upon … Failure is not an option… He has just 6 Days of his life… And Time is running out…”
Responding to a query on the much publicised bad blood with his mentor Ram Gopal Varma, he points out, “If that was true, why will he take me for his upcoming venture Rakta Charitra. A movie based on the life of Paritala Ravi. I remember the day he called me for Rakta Charitra. I was shooting for Prince somewhere in Himachal Pradesh and Ramuji calls up to ask if I would be interested in doing a film. I casually asked him whether it would be in the lines of Company , and after a typical RGV pause he says, ‘Yeh Company ka baap hai'. So after all these, where is the bad blood. Rakta Charitra is nearing completion and we have just 8 days of shooting left. The movie is going to be released in two parts featuring – the rise to the demise of Paritala Ravi.” Vivek ‘the no airs guy' is known for his philanthropic pursuits.
The Yashodhara Oberoi Foundation which is operated by the Oberoi family, is very close to his heart. He has a number of achievements on this side of life. Vivek took up the task of adopting a Tsunami hit village in 2005 in Tamil Nadu and has constructed 650 homes to build the lives of about 3,000 families. Through the foundation he sponsors heart and eye surgeries for children and the initiative has benefited many a disadvantaged young life. He is also part of the ‘Lighting a Billion Lives' project and the ‘Anti Tobacco' movement.
But right now his focus is on the foundation sponsored project DEVI (Development and Empowerment of Vrindavan Girls' Initiative). “In the land of Krishna there are so many little angels with tears in their eyes. DEVI is a project to help them out. DEVI is rehabilitating these girls and educating them.
One thousand two hundred needy girls now go to school, learn dance and martial arts. They're now happy. Those who want to get involved can visit: www.vivek-oberoi.com for details.”
