Bollywood Zone : Blog, Movies, Celebs

When your schedule is packed, it is difficult to find time for friends and family. But there are some, who go out of their way to make sure that they don’t miss out on the most important things in life. Take Vivek Oberoi for instance. The actor attended the premiere of Shootout At Lokhandwala, and had to immediately fly off to New York for a show. Even in the midst of all this, when he decided to catch a wink at his hotel, all his friends from New York decided to give him a surprise. Vivek, who has studied in the US and hadn’t met his old buddies in a long time. When the guys learnt that the actor was performing at the event, they decided to pay him a visit. Obviously, Vivek was delighted to see them and spent quite some time with them. Well the result was that he didn’t get any sleep! And we thought only Shah Rukh Khan could manage to go for days on end without sleep. Look out SRK, Vivek is giving you some tough competition!

Vivek Oberoi seems to have a penchant for beauty pageant winners. After his relationships with model Gurpreet Gill and Aishwarya Rai, he was recently spotted playing a gracious host to Miss Sri Lanka, Jacqueline Fernandes (Jackie), who is currently in India. Vivek and Jackie were spotted together on three different occasions on Saturday. The two attended a food guide launch at a hotel after which they went to a popular nightclub before attending a private party at a producer’s house.

However, Vivek is obviously not looking at being spotted with Jackie by the press yet. So, the moment Vivek saw a journalist at the party, simply turned around and ran to his car and disappeared from the scene. Onlookers swear that it was the fastest escape that Vivek could have ever made! All he managed to mutter to Jackie before running away was, “There are reporters here!”

Although Jackie, who is considerably new in India, was trying to figure out the reason behind Vivek’s quick retreat, she was far more comfortable about her friendship with him.

Jackie says, “Vivek and I were at the same function earlier in the day. We sat next to each other and that’s where we had a great conversation. We also went to a nightclub with friends after the event. It was sweet of Vivek to accompany me to this private party that I was supposed to attend.”

So why did he leave so quickly? “Maybe he had some other party to attend,” she says with a smile.

When it comes to playing pranks, few can beat Vivek Oberoi. But while he loves to fool around, the actor is an equally sincere worker. When he was required to do a certain action scene recently for a film, the action director insisted that Vivek train daily for the sequence, especially since it involved heavy usage of cable wires. Much to his delight, Oberoi took up the challenge with gusto. In fact, he was literally enjoying his new adventure. Now, we hear the scenes have turned out so well that they have left everyone totally impressed!

Terrible Tuesday: Vivek Oberoi is a shaken man. On Tuesday. he was busy tracking down an employee’s husband who went missing after the series of blasts that ripped through local trains yesterday. “We went crazy trying to locate him. We were so worried and she has a four-year-old child. Because of the traffic jams, it was difficult reaching any place. Finally, we found out that he had been admitted in one of the hospitals. He is injured, but he is okay,” he recounts.

Saif & more: On the professional front, things are more upbeat. Vivek is thrilled at the way Vishal Bharadwaj’s ‘Omkara’ has shaped up. “Working with a director who has a combination of pristine clarity and pure passion is a pleasure. I was supposed to do Vishal’s film ‘Barf’, which was to be directed by Ajay (Devgan), but that didn’t work out. Thankfully, this time around I got a chance to work with them.” Vivek’s character Kesu Phirangi, a charmer and popular with women, seems so much like him in real life. Vivek smiles and says, “Oh no, I am a shy guy in real life.” The actor says he got along really well with Saif Ali Khan while shooting for the film. “I applaud Saif’s commitment and belief. He actually shaved his head for the role. It is difficult to take that plunge.”

Et Tu? In the film, Saif’s character is jealous of Kesu. How does Vivek deal with jealousy in real life? “We all face jealousy. There have been so many people in my life who’ve pretended to be my friends and for who I have done so much, who’ve backstabbed me. When you are faced with betrayal you want to forgive and move on, but it is always at the cost of faith,” he says, adding that he has become a tougher person.

Bachelor boy: Ask him if he’s looking out for a girlfriend and he retorts, “Do I need to look for one?” Does that mean he has a long queue of aspiring girlfriends? “I am enjoying the attention of pretty girls.” Suddenly, he gets serious. “I think I will steer away from serious relationships for a long time. It will take a while for me to recover from what happened to me earlier… I cannot commit to anyone,” he says, obviously referring to his break-up with Aishwarya Rai. Interestingly, his newly acquired single status has given him a bigger female fan following. “I love that euphoria, but for now, I’m happy to be single.”

In Vishal Bharadwaj’s ‘Omkara’, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello, Vivek essays the character of Kesu Phirangi (Cassio). In his bid to develop the character and heighten the authenticity of certain scenes, where he is seen strumming a guitar, Vivek has taken up guitar lessons. He’s got his musician friend to travel all the way to Wai, near Mahabaleshwar, where they were shooting, to help him out.

Reminiscent of his ‘Company’ days, Vivek seems to be back with his erstwhile perfectionist zeal. His director Bharadwaj is ready to give praise where it is due, “Vivek is a very dedicated actor. He has done a good job in ‘Omkara’.”

Vivek Oberoi is nursing his latest passion – that of acquiring a new motorbike, in spite of recuperating from viral fever currently. Once he purchases this dream bike, the actor intends to go on a motorbike trek with a group of friends exploring North India.

“He has been on the look-out for the right kind of bike for himself for quite some time. He is constantly in touch with his designer Arjun Khanna who has an amazing collection of vintage bikes,” says a close friend of Vivek’s.

Not that this passion is new (Vivek used to ride on a bike when he was in Mithibai College), but it had been dormant ever since he entered the film industry. “I like heavy metal motorbikes, rather than sports bikes. I prefer the ones Sanjay Dutt and Sanjay Gupta have,” says Vivek. “I love travelling and interacting with people from new places. In that way I get the opportunity to discover the country too.”

Meanwhile, the actor was unable to attend the promotional shoot of his forthcoming film Omkara due to his indisposition. “I was travelling and also working out regularly. I think I need to rest now,” he says.

It’s sometimes really funny how actors play pranks on each other. But Vivek Oberoi doesn’t even spare the producer. Apparently, he roped in hair stylist Aalim for the prank and the two convinced producer Sachin Bajaj to colour his hair with slight tits on the sets of Naksha, in spite of the latter’s initial reluctance. When Sachin finally sat with Aalim, Vivek made Aalim colour Sachin’s hair a blonde shade instead. When Sachin realised what had happened, he was fuming. Of course, Vivek just managed to escape the ensuing storm by the skin of his teeth. Incidentally, Oberoi actually had the entire incident recorded on camera, we hear. Now wonder if he plans on blackmailing Sachin!

Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi seems to have a huge fan following… that despite not having had a single hit in the last few years. The actor, who recently decided to go on a long drive with his friends to Lonavla, was mobbed by fans when he stepped out from his car. Oberoi and his group of friends stopped at a roadside motel to pick up some snacks. While his friends stepped out of the vehicle, he preferred to stay inside. But apparently, looking at his friends having fun outside, he decided come out as well.

“It was probably a mistake,” he says because in minutes hoards of people came flocking by just to catch a glimpse of the star. He continues, “It was maddening, but I am fine. I love my fans and they love me unconditionally. But finally my friends had to push them aside and escort me to the car.”

Meanwhile, Oberoi is all excited about his forthcoming release Omkara. The film is based on William Shakespeare’s Othello and Vivek plays Cassio. “It was a wonderful experience working with Vishal and I am sure that people will like it,” he says.

Recently, he was panned by Indian media when at the Cannes Film Festival he apparently said that Bhardwaj’s take on the classic play was an improvement on the original. Clearing the air around the controversy, he says, “I have been misinterpreted. I will never say such inane thing about Shakespeare. I wanted to say that in my opinion, Vishal’s interpretation of Othello is the best so far. It couldn’t have been better.”

Oberoi has so far been a little hesitant about exposing on-screen. (Ram Gopal Varma had asked him to do a shirtless song with Antra Mali for Dum he declined) However these days it seems like he is considering the option after all. After his split with Aishwarya Rai, he has lost weight and looks ready to expose on screen. “I am basically a shy guy. Unless a script demands I don’t think I would so something like that… though I am getting mails from my female fans and they want to see my shirtless,” he confesses saying that he might just do a shirtless number like Salman Khan.

He continues, “It is good to shed excess weight. It makes you feel lighter, happier and healthier. There is no effort from my side. I am the same old person, obsessed with my love… cinema.” Vivek’s personal trainer had apparently reported that he has done a bare body scene for the first time in Vishal Bharadwaj’s Omkara. He will be seen in a hawan scene with Ajay Devgan and Saif Ali Khan. Ask him to confirm the news and all he reveals is, “I can’t discuss the scenes from the film!”