PicShik Blog

From accusing Zayed Khan of bribing Apoorva Lakhia, to refusing to promote Mission Istaanbul, Vivek Oberoi is making all the wrong moves again. Vivek oberoi is angry and upset with the entire team of Mission Istaanbul.

He has openly accused director Apoorva Lakia of favouring Zayed over him by lengthening his role.

He has gone to the extent of saying that Zayed has bribed Apoorva by giving him a very expensive watch. Things reached a head when Vivek refused to be a part of any of the promotions of Mission Istaanbul. He did not attend any of the Press conferences and refused to give any promotional interviews for the film.

Sunil Shetty had taken the dates from both Zayed and Vivek before deciding on the promo dates. Yet Vivek refused to attend.

Instead he made some scathing remarks about Apoorva suggesting that Zayed and he had conspired to cut his role.

Sunil Shetty clarified by saying, “I don’t know why Vivek does what he does.

He always rubs people the wrong way and now he has gone and upset Apoorva Lakia the director of our film.

Vivek feels he has got a raw deal in the film (don’t know who has instigated him) and refuses to promote the film.”

According to sources, Vivek should be grateful to Sunil Shetty for helping him in his career. Sunil had signed Vivek for this film long before he had signed Shoot out At Lokahndwala. Even when Vivek asked for a price hike after Shootout… became a success, Sunil readily agreed. That is why he is so disappointed with Vivek’s uncalled for behaviour.

Apoorva who resurrected Vivek’s non existent film career with Shootout… is amazed at Vivek’s unprofessional behaviour. He says that nothing has been changed in the script of the film and that Vivek knew exactly what his and Zayed’s role would be.

When asked whether Zayed had gifted him an expensive watch as a gift (bribe?) Apoorva laughed at the absurdity of such a suggestion.

“Vivek’s problem is not acting, he has improved on that. His problem is something else—he has to learn to keep his mouth shut!”

Zayed hits back

Zayed Khan being hot blooded decided to hit back at Vivek. He said, “I hate anyone becoming controversial at my expense. As an actor we should be proud of our product and help promote it as best as we can. It is unprofessional to not turn up for publicity events. It shows Vivek has no respect for the film. The script has not been changed since the shooting commenced last year.

Both Vivek and I knew what our roles were from the start. Vivek knew what he was getting into back then. Actually Vivek has done a great job in the film. But films are not made on solo identities. It is always a team effort. But if that’s his attitude, then I am happy because that only show he is insecure about me!”

Says a distributor, “Vivek is committing professional suicide by behaving in this manner.

As it is no one in the industry is on his side. All the kingpins in the industry dislike him. He has made too many enemies. If it wasn’t for Shootout Vivek would have been nowhere. Mission Istaanbul was his big film after Shootout…

Because of his big mouth, he has upset half the industry like Salman, Sanjay Dutt and Maanyata, Abhishek and Aishwarya, Saif (because of Rozza) and many others.

Now, he has angered two other huge names, Sunil Shetty and Apoorva Lakia.

When will Vivek ever learn that to survive in this industry you have to keep your mouth shut and be a hypocrite! He is a talented actor. He should respect his profession.”

While on MISSION ISTAANBUL, its lead actor Vivek Oberoi has turned a new leaf. “I made a lot of mistakes, I rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, I got carried away. I went through hell, personally and professionally. The media turned its back on me. Some of the projects I was associated with, evaporated into thin air. Everything I did, backfired,” Vivek reminisces as we get into the flashback mode.

“But,” he continues in the same breath, “I realized that the problem was with me, not anyone else. If almost everyone was talking ill of me, if almost everyone had trained their guns on me, it only went to prove that I was at fault, it only meant that I need to mend ways. As you sow so shall you reap.”
Vivek also admits that the Salman Khan episode — calling the entire media to his house to malign Salman — is something he repents. “I used a public platform to malign him. When I felt I must apologize, I did so publicly, not discreetly,” he admits honestly.

Quiz Vivek whether he’d work with Salman, Abhishek or Ash, pat comes the reply, “Of course, I would. I am a professional and so are they.” Meanwhile, Vivek begins shooting for Tips’ new film shortly, followed by Karan Johar’s new project.

The Bahu of Bachchan family, Aishwarya Bachchan was the cynosure of the high profile event as she is an important member of IIFA’s brand ambassador, Amitabh Bachchan. She caught everyone’s attention while she walked the green carpet with hubby Abhishek Bachchan. Everyone desired to get a glimpse of her but one identified personal who has avoided any face to face interaction with her was her ex beau Vivek Oberoi. Sarkar Raj was one of the main attractions of the event and many Bollywood stars attended the premiere of the film. Among the attendees were Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, David Dhawan, Ajay Bijli, Zayed Khan, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Mumtaz with her daughters while one star who requires special mention and who has given the show a miss was Ash’s ex flame Vivek Oberoi who was present at IIFA for Mission Istanbul showcasing with his other co-stars Zayed Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Shriya Saran, Shabbir Ahluwalia, Nikitin Dheer, Shweta Bharadwaj.

It is reported that Vivek had intentionally skipped the Sarkar Raj premiere as he was reluctant to face Ash and revive the old story which he dumped long back.

After doing crime, action and underworld related films. Vivek Oberoi wants some glitz and glamour. And Vivek likes to settle for only the very best. And the best in this business is none other than Karan Johar. Actor Vivek Oberoi has been signed for Karan Johar’s next. He will be joining Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor in Renzil D’souza’s untitled film. It will be produced under the banner of Dharma productions. Writer turned director Renzil who wrote the script of Rakeysh Mehra’s Rang De Basanti has finalized Vivek for one of the prominent roles in his untitled film. It can be recalled that before this Saif, Kareena and Vivek were featured in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Omkara.
Needless to say Karan who is very fond of both Kareena and Saif signed them for his next. The couple is on a signing spree and this was the first film they signed just after the announcement of their relationship. Vivek Oberoi’s last film was Shootout At Lokhadwala , a film that gave the film buffs a taste of Maya Dolas, the character Vivek played with perfection. His next, Mission Istanbul is by the same director. While Vivek waits for its release, he is preparing for a film to be produced by Tips, with a debutant director Kookie Gulati, at its helm. Karan’s film is slated to go on the floors in October and will be shot in London.
However, Vivek has been approached by several directors for some big projects. One of the biggies is Prakash Jha’s Rajniti. Unfortunately the dates clashed with those of Karan Johar’s. Vivek confirms, “Yes the dates were clashing. But now I am doing K Jo’s film.”
But news has it that Saif has no dates to offer Karan Johar as he is concentrating on films that are being produced by his production house. Hope this news does not make Vivek regret his decision of chosing Karan Johar over Prakash Jha.

Vivek Oberoi, who is in the news for his fitness sessions and retro look in Apoorva Ladakhia’s ‘Mission Istanbul’ has deviated his identity from just an actor to a stunt star.
The film which is extensively shot in hilly areas of Turkey asked for some stunts. The duo, Zayed and Vivek performed a stunt called stupendous feat, in which they had to jump from a 40 storeyed tower. Both of them were apprehensive, initially, but then did the stunt in the first shot and decided to go ahead and do the shot seven times as it gave them an adrenaline high. “The film has quite some stunts and mostly, it was our director Apoorva who would first attempt the stunt since he is the adventurous sorts and only if he was sure, we would go ahead with it. In certain cases, he opted for duplicates. But when it came to jumping from the 40-storeyed tower, Apoorva wasn’t really up for it. However, for me and Zayed, it seemed like the best opportunity to establish our credentials as stunt heroes. And so, we did it.” says Vivek when asked about the stunts. He added,
“Though we had developed goose bumps before the first take, grappling from the height was so much fun, that we decided to give six more takes”.

While shooting for Sunil Shetty’s Mission Istanbul, director Apoorva Lakhia and actor Vivek Oberoi along with the rest of the cast stayed at the Les-Ottomans Hotel in Istanbul. At the same time, Hollywood actor and director Kevin Costner was also staying in the hotel.The Academy Award-winner was in Istanbul with his rock band, Modern West, for a concert at the WOW Convention Center — the first in a series of events, Hollywood Stars in Turkey.After it became known that that Costner was staying at the hotel, a lot of his fans showed up at the hotel to catch a glimpse of the star.Two of these fans saw Vivek Oberoi there, and they ended up partying and spending a lot of time together. The girls even accompanied VO to the Mission Istanbul shooting and soon the actor became a butt of everyone’s jokes for dating two girls together!
Taken aback
Vivek laughs off the incident saying, “It’s embarrassing to even talk about this. I did make lots of friends in Istanbul as I love seeing a new place and going out and partying but we all did it as a group.Kevin Costner was staying in the hotel we were in and there was a group of Turkish girls who had come there. I thought they had come to meet him but to my utter shock they turned out to be my fans! Adds Vivek,“Saathiya was a hit in Turkey. Hindi films are a craze in Istanbul since Raj Kapoor’s time and fans would even drive down to meet us.”

His family and friends say that VO is the most misunderstood person in B-Town.For the last year, he has been hiding behind a wall of silence (or indifference) but today, he’s looking at the positive side of things.He has signed Karan Johar’s next production, Mission Istanbul is almost complete and a “big film” is in the pipeline. Here, in a heart-to-heart, the actor clears the air. Read on…
Recently there was a rumour of you flirting with your dinner host’s gal and getting slapped. Comment.
Someday if I ever write a book on The Craziest Rumours That I Have Heard About Myself this would be No 173. Jokes aside, it’s absolutely untrue. The story was upsetting as it made me out to be a sleazeball. I have tremendous respect for women. Anybody who knows me can vouch for that. My mother (Yashodhara) — is my hero. I would never do anything that would make her ashamed of me.
It wasn’t you?
I heard it was about some other actor but whoever the actor might have been, if he did what he did, he deserved to get slapped. Alcohol or no alcohol there is no excuse for misbehaving with a girl.
You’ve had link-ups with women ever since your break-up with Aishwarya…
Well, I hope so. After all, I am a normal, single man (laughs) When I was in both my serious relationships (Gurpreet Gill and Aishwarya Rai) I was very committed. But now that I am single, I am allowed to date, ain’t I? I enjoy the company of women but I don’t misbehave with them. Without meaning to sound arrogant I think I am decent looking and charming enough to have female attention.
Your apology to Salman has been called a gimmick…
I was on a high after the success of Shootout At Lokhandwala so I didn’t need to indulge in such stunts. It wasn’t out of necessity that I did it (apologised to Salman.) I felt that it was the right thing to do. It would be cowardly to publicly accuse someone, then privately say ‘hey I am sorry.’I wanted to crush that little ego that was lurking inside me. If I am wrong, I am wrong and I let the world know that. That gives me strength. It’s unfair to call it a publicity stunt. Anything I do is taken as contrived. I am being constantly attacked. I can’t spend my life clarifying every rumour. It’s a bhed chaal, ‘let’s get out and get this guy’.
Maybe because you did charity and spoke about it too often…
I have decided that even though I am the brand ambassador of many causes, I won’t speak about them, as I don’t want the causes to suffer. I get bashed for everything I do. I have been fortunate to do God’s work in many ways and thought that by speaking about it, I would get more people involved, which did happen.But then it backfired — if I built houses for the tsunami victims, people said I did it for publicity; when I sponsored children for heart surgery, they said I did it for publicity! Dudes, life is a lot more than that!
You also got bashed for attending Teji Bachchan’s funeral. Was it wise, given your history with Ash?
It was sad and in bad taste that it was made out to be such a media story. The Bachchans are such a dignified family and she (Teji) was such a dignified lady. Abhishek and I share a warm relationship, and we have respect for each other. We have worked and hung out together.I am really fond of him and I am sure he is of me too. Apart from being my colleague and a part of the fraternity I was also informed about it (Teji’s funeral). Apu (Apoorva Lakhia) is also a common link and they were aware that I was coming. I went there (Teji Bachchan’s funeral), paid my respects and the gesture was reciprocated.This is what we do in our industry. In the past, as a part of the film industry, I might have been the bad son but I have mended my ways. I believe it’s a fraternity and family and I am doing everything that I can to set things right and that’s why I share good relations with people today.
After Kaal, you are working for another Karan Johar production.
Yes. Karan’s not only one of the biggest producers we have in the industry, but also creatively one of the finest and best directors to work with. Karan and I are friends aside from being professionals and he’s always advising me on clothes, fashion, looks, styling etc.I have been conscious about my looks only recently. I had this phase when I didn’t really care how I looked. Friends like Karan have made me aware. Now I feel good about myself. It feels good to be in great shape, to look good and dress up. Karan’s a big part of that. He’s my fashion godfather.
Are you trying to get close to SRK via Karan?
Work is work, and relationships are relationships. The reason that I am doing Karan’s film is because Rensil’s script is fantastic. If my sole objective were to get close to Shah Rukh, which is silly as I already share a certain degree of closeness with him, then I would have done Om Shanti Om, which was his film. Shah Rukh (or God, as I fondly call him from the time we did Saathiya) and I have always shared a lovely relationship. Shah Rukh and Gauri have always welcomed me to their home and have been there for me. I love partying with them and it’s a great equation we share. I will attend Shah Rukh’s IPL match in Kolkata on April 20 to cheer Shah Rukh and his Kolkata Knight Riders.
It was said that Sanjay Dutt was upset with you because you tried to flirt with his wife Manayata.
These were unfortunate, baseless and untrue rumours. That’s not my upbringing. I have too much love, respect and awe for Sanju sir. He’s too gracious and large-hearted to believe such rubbish. It’s the people in between who try to feel important by creating mischief.
You have completely disassociated yourself from everyone in the industry. Why?
I decided to retreat behind silence because whatever I did, or didn’t do, I was attacked. I am happy to be working with people who are like family to me. I have developed these amazing relationships with many people from my fraternity who have begun to see who I really am.I have gone through this entire evolution and I share a fantastic rapport with many people now. I feel now that I have had enough, people have had enough, so they just let me be. I am putting my head down and working hard.
Did you chicken out of doing stunts for Mission Istanbul?
It’s the opposite. Action director Allan Amin nicknamed me Tiger ever since I shot the first action sequence for Company in Kenya. He asked me to jump from one building to another with a road in between — no cable, safety net or box — and even before he could set it up, I had leapt across.He told me I am a tiger who needs to be kept in control. Now only when safety’s ready does Allan allow me to do stunts. I am an adrenaline junkie. They have to curb me.
Apparently, your dad hiked your fees from Rs 75 lakhs to Rs 3.5 crore for Loot, upsetting producer Sunil Shetty.
It’s a ridiculous rumour. My father doesn’t even talk money or negotiate anything. It’s unfair to drag him into this. I have a fantastic relationship with Anna, and he has too much respect for my father.I have a company, Serge Entertainment, which takes care of my contracts and fees. Dad does nothing but play golf. After 30 years of working so hard in this industry and acting in over 300 films dad deserves to live like a king, play golf and enjoy what he does.
Do you feel that there’s a certain section working against you?
Isn’t it obvious? It’s not just about a section, but a trend. All I am saying is give me a chance — what have I done so bad and drastic that people come after me all the time? I feel hurt and upset that I am being misrepresented all the time.I am human. I live with people who love me. I have friends and family who read things about me and feel hurt. When I come back home to find my mom and sister upset, I get upset and unhappy.
Please continue…
I was 24 when I came to this industry. I saw more fame, stardom and money in six months than most people had seen in their lifetime. I had it all in six short months and I made a few mistakes.
But it was one big mistake (referring to the Salman Khan press con) that I made at 26 that turned my life upside- down. I am still paying for that…
Why did you do it?
I was crazily in love and didn’t think everything out. I made a mistake. I publicly and privately apologised for it because I thought if I have insulted someone publicly at a press conference then I should publicly apologise for it. If this makes me a bigger person, teaches me a lesson in humility and reduces my bad karma. I believe in karma and that I more than paid for it.

It was really an embarrassing moment for Vivek Oberoi when he received a tight slap from a foreigner who was hosting her boyfriend’s party in Bandra. Last week, Vivek dropped with director Apoorva Lakia to a common friend’s party and misbehaved with the host’s girlfriend who was cordially attending her guests. At first the girl ignored his misbehavior but when he crossed his limit of decency and kissed her, she gave him a loud slap in the witness of all attendees.The situation worsened when Apoorva got involved in the affair and the duo ended up with strong brawl. Apoorva then drove Vivek back home. They attended the party to refresh themselves after continuously shooting for 10 days at Madhusudhan Mills but the party turned to be a disaster. Vivek instead of repenting his misbehavior behaved quite normally and didn’t even bother to say sorry to the girl. On the other hand, director Apoorva Lakhia tries to laugh away the story by saying that he really does not understand where this news has come from but it’s totally ridiculous and untrue. Vivek’s publicist also said, “Nothing of this sort happened.”

It’s always comeback climate in tinsel town. After heartbreak and a dizzying vortex of non-stardom, Vivek Oberoi is back in top gear, if Karan Johar’s next flick is anything to go by. Post Shootout at Lokhandwala’s success, Vivek Oberoi is back in the big league. He will be playing an important character in Karan Johar’s untitled next, to be directed by Rensil D’Souza. Karan Johar, who is currently in Miami shooting for Dostana, confirmed, “Yes, I have signed Vivek for my next film. I was really impressed with his role in Shootout. It is an unusual love triangle between two guys and a girl. Saif, Vivek and Kareena will play the respective roles.” He added, “The basic idea came from me but it was Rensil who developed it into a proper story. The film will go on the floors in October. It will be complete by the first quarter of next year and will be shot in London.”

Vivek Oberoi is one such actor, who despite acting in comparatively less number of films, has already created a large fan following.
Films apart, Vivek Oberoi is endorsing a soft drink ‘Fresh Freezee’ where the actor will be exhorting the youth to shun alcohol. This promotional is being brought in the form of a music album by Vivek’s cousin and ad filmmaker Anand Oberoi. Recently, we caught up with the actor to know about this ad as well as his future plans. Here are the excerpts.
Q: What has actually inspired you to work for this particular album?
A: Actually, this is not just an album, but a terrific concept to promote a cola. The product is an alcohol free apple juice and the message that I am trying to convey through this album to the youth is that we can make our lives fun filled even without consuming alcohol. nitially, this was just a simple a advertisement, but Pritam has composed such wonderful music for the promotional that we have decided to launch it as a music album. There are two reasons for participating in this ad-cum-music album.
First Anand, and second the unique concept of the entire show that is very different from the traditional ads.
Q: Tell us something about your cousin Anand.
A: Anand is my cousin with whom I have lived in the same house. Being a part of a joint family, we understand each other very well and since we grew up together we are good friends.
He is running an ad company for the last 12 years and is a very successful ad filmmaker. This is the first time we are working together and the experience has been great since he is not only my cousin, but also my director here.
Q: Is there any plans that he will direct you in a feature film after this album?
A: It would be too early to say anything on this. First, let this album be a hit and then we will consider working together in a feature film. Q: You are looking very good …
A: This look is for my new film ‘Mission Istanbul’ and this is my second film with Apurva. Here I am playing the role of a Turkish commando and my name is Rizwan.
Q: We have heard that you are learning Tai Chi for this film and at the same time your 6 pack abs too is the talk of the town…
A: (Laughing) Oh God! Look the main attraction of this film is neither Tai Chi nor my 6 pack abs, but my performance.
I have a terrific role in this film. This is a beautiful film and I consider myself fortunate to be able to act in another good film. owever, I cannot tell much about the film at this stage for I fear that while talking much, I may reveal some secret packages included in this movie. Nevertheless, I am very excited about this film.
Q: How much has this film incorporated scenes from Mithun Chakraboty’s ‘Commando’?
A: (Laughingly) Are you a Bengali? I believe that only a Bengali (read Mithun fan) can ask such a question. Anyways, I am not performing the role of any such commando, but the commando in this film is a very likeable person and the centre of attraction for one and all in the film.Like a ghost, this character sometimes disappears from the scene and then suddenly is before all. This character is larger than life, something that you may have read in the books as a child.
Q: Alongside acting, you have always taken great pains to make your look appear perfect. Whether it is Chandu in ‘Company’ or Maya Dolas in ‘Shootout at Lokhandwala’ it has been the same. What is your preparation for Rizwan in ‘Mission Istanbul’?
A: First of all I must thank you. While portraying Maya Dolas, I had done a lot of research and on the basis of whatever I had gathered, I tried to make the role more powerful.
However, Apurva has taken the entire responsibility for my look in this film. He has argued with me that since we are doing two films back-to-back, I should look completely different from Maya Dolas in this film. This is the sole reason why my looks as well as my performance have undergone a transformation in this film. Rizwan is not an urban gangster like Maya. On the contrary, he is much disciplined and has a mission.There are many who have told me that as a commando I should be wearing a uniform and short hair. However, I haven’t done this for there is a twist in this film which you shall see when it hits the screen.
Q: What is the reason that after accepting you in ‘Masti’, people have not liked you in comedies like ‘Pyare Mohan’ and ‘Fool and Final’? Would you like to do another film like ‘Masti’?
A: Definitely. In fact I am going through some comedy stories right now. Let’s see if they materialize.
Q: Is it true that you are acting in the remake of the Tamil film ‘7G Rainbow Colony’ and Anubhav Sinha’s untitled film?
A: Look, I only act in one film at a time. Currently, I am listening to many stories and if I like any of them, I may agree to act in films based on those stories.
Presently, I am busy with ‘Mission Istanbul’ and my entire concentration is on this film. Once this film is over, I will take a break and then start working on a new project. This is my style of working. - Rajnee Gupta