Vivek Oberoi had a great start in the Hindi film industry. The actor made his debut in Ram Gopal Varma’s much-acclaimed gangster drama, Company, which also starred Ajay Devgn and Mohanlal. This was followed by another RGV film, Road. After starring in two back-to-back action films, Vivek starred in Shaad Ali’s romantic flick Saathiya. In a recent interview, the actor recalled how RGV advised him against doing Saathiya. He also shared the challenges he faced while filming the YRF film, including changing clothes in restaurant washrooms and sleeping on benches due to budget constraints.
Opening up about the rationale behind RGV’s advice against starring in Saathiya, Vivek told Humans of Bombay, “Everybody said don’t so Saathiya. ‘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. I loved the film. Saathiya’s director Shaad Ali is my school friend. He was initially making the film with Abhishek Bachchan but that didn’t work out. I already had my debut film, Company.”
Vivek recalled that Shaad, who was a childhood friend, called him home and they watched Mani Ratnam’s Alaipayuthey, the film Saathiya was based on. By the end, Vivek was “bawling” and decided to do Saathiya.
Recalling the hardships he endured during the filming of the 2002 film, the actor said, “When I was shooting for Saathiya, Company hadn’t released. I was shooting on railway stations, I used to be sleeping on the benches because we 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.”
Vivek also disclosed how security measures were implemented on the set of Saathiya when Rani Mukerji was filming for the movie. At the time, he was relatively unknown, with nobody recognising him during the shoot. However, everything changed dramatically after the release of his debut film Company. Vivek recalled a pivotal moment when thousands of fans flocked to the shooting location of Saathiya, enthusiastically chanting “Chandu Bhai,” his character’s name from Company. The sudden surge of attention led to Vivek being escorted out of the location in a police van. “Life changed after that day,” he concluded.
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