Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma said that he cast actor Vivek Oberoi in the film Company after Vivek’s father, veteran actor Suresh Oberoi, showed him pictures of the aspiring actor. Varma said that when he saw the photos, he “instantly” knew Vivek would be right for the gangster drama. In a video posted on his YouTube channel, RGV was asked about casting Vivek in the role of a local gangster. Ram Gopal Varma said, “First it was Abhishek Bachchan, but the dates were not there. I was making Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya at that time, and Suresh Oberoi was there. One day he came and showed me pictures of Vivek and I instantly felt he was right for the choice.”
Previously, Suresh Oberoi had opened up to Bollywood Hungama about the ‘second struggle’ of his career, which was finding work for his son. “I would sit outside offices with his photos in my hand. Ram Gopal Varma’s office and all these other offices. It was a second struggle for me. Then, ultimately, Ramu (Ram Gopal Varma) gave him his first film,” he said.
Vivek’s version of bagging Company, as told to Indianexpress.com previously, was slightly different. The actor said, “He saw my pictures and everything. He said, ‘No, you’re not the guy’. I asked him, ‘Why?’. He said, ‘You are polished. You have studied in New York, and you have come back. I need somebody from the slums. Somebody from the underbelly of Mumbai, a rough and unpolished guy.’ I said, ‘Can you give me another appointment in 15 days?’ He said okay and then he forgot about me.”
Vivek recalled how he “checked into a slum” for 15 days, and sleeping on the floor with “mice all around.” He said that he studied the locals and wore chappals, a torn shirt, a vest, tight pants, and looked unclean. He then went to meet the filmmaker. In an interview with Curly Tales ME, Vivek said that he adopted a nom de plume while trying to bag his first role, to avoid being thought of as Suresh’s son. He also claimed that RGV had no idea who his father was until after he was cast for Company. “I didn’t tell anybody that I was Suresh Oberoi’s son because I didn’t want to embarrass my father,” he said.
When asked about this process, Ram Gopal Varma said in his new video, “I don’t know about that. If as an actor you did that to prepare yourself, I am not aware of it. But when he met me, he came in that tanned, sleeves rolled up look.”
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