Suresh Oberoi says he would sit outside producers’ offices with son Vivek Oberoi’s photos in his hand: ‘It was a second struggle for me’

Suresh Oberoi commanded deep respect in the film industry when his son Vivek Oberoi made his debut in Ram Gopal Varma’s 2002 film, Company. In a recent interview, Suresh said that he went through a “second struggle” in trying to launch Vivek as an actor. Suresh said that he would sit outside producers’ offices with Vivek’s photos in his hand, just so he could ensure that his son got his first film role.

Talking to Bollywood Hungama, when Suresh was asked how he reacted to Vivek’s decision to become an actor like him, the veteran actor said, “I groomed him since his childhood. I made him do stage shows, got him to do (acting) classes and course with my senior from FTII. For Vivek, I would struggle. 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.”

However, in a recent chat 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. Also, I didn’t want to go around in the industry saying ‘Suresh Oberoi ka beta har office ke bahar aise bhatak raha hai (Suresh Oberoi’s son is wandering outside every office)’. I went quietly as Vivek Anand and struggled everywhere,” he said. Advertisement ALSO READ | Sunil Dutt blamed his ‘kismat’ for son Sanjay Dutt’s misfortunes, hoped for ‘complete happiness’ after death Suresh, in the same chat, was asked how he took care of his son when he was going through a rough patch in his career. Vivek’s career went through a slump after he conducted a press conference and accused Salman Khan of threatening him. “It is his strength that he got through this. If it was someone else, they would have become an alcoholic or perhaps a drug addict. People were really against him. Media, and the people in the film industry, even the actors… sometimes when people get successful very quickly, others can’t take it,” he said. Vivek was last seen in Rohit Shetty’s web series Indian Police Force.

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