A sit down with Vivek
- bollyvista.com
Vivek Oberoi had made his debut with 'Company', and followed it up with 'Saathiya', 'Dum' and 'Darna Mana Hai'. In the news because of the rave reviews he has garnered for his comic performance in 'Masti', Vivek is now all set to follow up 'Masti' by bouncing back with not one or two but three more releases this year. They are 'Kyon? Ho Gaya Na?', 'Yuva' and 'Kisna'. On the sets of 'Kyon? Ho Gaya Na?', Vivek tells Jyothi Venkatesh that he is pained by rumors, which insisted that he was cheeky towards Amitabh Bachchan for whom he has the highest regards.Excerpts:
What is your role in 'Kyon? Ho Gaya Na Pyar'?
I play a happy go lucky character called Arjun. Words like love and defeat are not there at all in his dictionary. Arjun is a hard-core sportsman who is into racing, riding bikes, playing football and other games. In short Arjun is a 25 year old who does not take his life seriously. For him life is fun. He is a prankster who is bubbly and energetic. He is also pompous and sweetly egoistic. Though he is quite a modern guy, he believes in arranged marriage because his father, his grand parents etc have all had an arranged marriage and he does not feel anything is wrong as far as arranged marriage is concerned. However, Aishwarya Rai who is playing the leading lady opposite me in the film seeks true love before marriage.
Talking of true love reminds me, what is your view on love?
Love is the most beautiful emotion in the world. It connects you with some one else in the world and that in turn gives you connection to your soul. You will love even a bad film if you happen to watch it with your beloved.
Which bad film did you love when you watched it with your beloved?
I am sorry I do not want to talk about my personal life.
How was it working with Sameer Kulkarni who is the director of KHGN?
Sameer is a director on the sets. He is very strong on technical aspects. He should be lauded for making an attempt to make a film, which is scary for normal directors. In KHGN, there is no villain. In fact throughout the film, you will not find even a single negative character. Hardcore emotion or commercial masala will be conspicuous by their absence in the film, because Sameer has not tried to play safe.
How advantageous was it to have Sameer, a school buddy as the director?
Sameer happens to be a buddy of mine right from the school days. It did help me that Sameer was a buddy but then friends tend to grind you and take you for granted. Amitji, Aishwarya and all the other actors in the film got a better deal because they were not school buddies of Sameer, who was a slave driver on the sets. It is difficult for an actor to work with a friend of his because you have got to demarcate the line of demarcation between friendship and your profession.
Can you elaborate?
Whether I was working with Mani Ratnam in 'Yuva' or for that matter Ramu in 'Company' or Subhash Ghai in 'Kisna', I have always had the privilege of having the freedom to ask them if I could set out to interpret a particular scene in a different manner. They have been supportive to my suggestions too. However since Sameer has got to prove himself with this first attempt of his, I couldn't take the liberty of giving him suggestions.
Is it true that you and Ash were playing chess and making the unit wait for both of you while shooting for KHGN in Scotland?
It is a white lie. The day used to start at 3.30 am and end at 11.30 pm when we were shooting in Scotland. At times we used to work round the clock for as many as 16 hours. We were at the mercy of the lights there. Tell me where was the time to play chess when we had to complete the schedule and come back to Mumbai? I was pained when we were both dubbed unprofessional in spite of our having worked for 16 hours every day.
You have been cheeky to Amitabh Bachchan calling him a dude!
My gosh! How can you even think of me having done something as cheeky as calling Amitji a dude? When all these rumors emanated, I had never shot even a single scene with Amitji. I can never disrespect him. If today Bollywood had a temple, of its own, Amitji would have been an idol there. I am not an atheist as far as disrespecting God is concerned. Amitji who is playing the character of Jagat Uncle was wonderful as a co-actor. He bonded with us in spite of his age. He has this amazing capacity of making you feel comfortable as if you are talking to a peer. He never made me feel that he is the phenomenon called Amitabh Bachchan. Amitji is a livewire on the sets. I forgot all about my pain and agony after my accident when I watched him work tirelessly on the sets, inspiring every one of us.
How was it working with Aishwarya considering both of you are more than just friends?
She is a thorough professional. For instance, it takes amazing professionalism and discipline to sit and do what she does to her hair by reporting on the sets two hours before the shoot starts and leaving the sets only after the pack up.
What did you learn by observing both Amitabh and Aishwarya on the sets?
Both Amitji and Ash taught me patience as well as professionalism to be in control and not to let anything and everything upset you as a person when you are an actor on the sets. They taught me to be lively and have fun on the sets too. Ash would not stop giggling whenever she was with Amitji who used to keep regaling the entire unit with his jokes.
How challenging to you is your role in KHGN as Arjun?
I do not think that the character I am playing in KHGN is either a performance-oriented or a challenging one. It is a lighthearted film, which will certainly make you relax. It is not a role, which will change history.
Which are your films on the floors right now?
Among the films in which I am working right now are Subhash Ghai's 'Kisna', and Mani Ratnam's 'Yuva'. In fact this year, four of my films will be released including KHGN. 'Yuva' was thrown out of schedule because of my accident. But for my ill-fated accident, 'Yuva' should have been released by now. There were just 9 nine days left for the completion of 'Yuva' when the accident occurred.
Why are you very choosy as far as your assignments are concerned?
I want to give top priority to quality and not quantity. I am committed till mid-2005. I do not want to take up each and every project, which is dangled in front of me because making money isn't mission as an actor.
