Vivek Oberoi: Never really got into betting

We have been meeting Vivek Oberoi quite often nowadays, first for his film ‘Bank Chor’ (in which he was fantastic) and now, for Amazon Prime series titled ‘Inside Edge’. The series revolves cricket and match-fixing, and the trailer of it was launched a few days ago. Vivek’s character was surely one of the highlights of the trailer, and we were quite excited conversing with him, on the same.

We have seen the trailer of ‘Inside Edge’, and it gives us a hint that your character in it is negative. So, it is a negative character or a character with grey shades?

(Laughs) No yaar, just exciting character and fun character. Vikrant Dhawan (his character in ‘Inside Egde’), this guy has created another universe. He controls people; he controls their world, to create a fixed outcome. He is the master mind of the world of betting and match- fixing. No matter what cost it comes at, the power has to remains in his hands, and that’s what exciting about the character. Like India-Pakistan, Champions Trophy Finals, somebody like you and me are matured to say that Pakistan played well that day and deserved to win. But, in every office or workplace, there will be one guy who will turn and say ‘nahi yaar fix tha’. Everybody talks about fixing and betting, but nobody knows how it works. There’s actually fascination about the world behind the cricket. ‘Inside Edge’ is the journey into Vikrant Dhawan’s universe. The journey through the world of fixing and betting, the games that go on behind it whether it’s the play of powers, sex, threat, murder and all of that.

So, is ‘Inside Edge’ based or inspired from real-life events?

It’s completely fictional, but it is researched. So, the degree of research in terms of previous cases, discoveries, on how betting rackets were busted, how it happened, how bookies behave and how bets are placed, and that research is put into the background of ‘Inside Edge’. The characters are fictional, but you may feel that this one reminds me of that person, and that one reminds me of that one.

So, in your younger days or even now, have ever done betting?

I have never bet on sports. I grew up in a house where gambling was strictly disallowed. I never saw my dad going to a casino. In our house, we didn’t even have regular playing cards. I still don’t know how to play rummy, I have heard of it, but I don’t know how to play it. I don’t know how to even play cards, so, never really got into betting.

You have been playing negative characters and characters with grey shades. So, don’t you feel you might get stereotyped?

I feel the media is going on and on at it. You guys will name my autobiography ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’. It’s a character, what’s the colour of a character. What is a grey shade? Who is black and who is white in real life today? Maya Dolas, is he a villain is he a hero. It is just silly to say that it has this shade and that shade. It’s an interesting character or a boring character. I like to play interesting characters. I don’t look at it as black and white. I like it more colourful.

What convinced you to do a web-series?

I consume a lot of content on the web. I have been watching web shows, whether it’s content on Amazon or other portals. And I have loved it. When Excel Entertainment and Amazon approached me and said look we want you to do a major role in our web series which will be going to global market, I was excited because one, in almost 40 films that I have done, I never had a film or any content that releases in 200 countries and territories. Not even a ‘Baahubali’ has reached 200 countries and territories. So, this is a medium to reach that kind of audience. So maybe, there’s a person sitting at a corner of the earth and watching ‘Inside Edge’ and say what’s this guy’s name, Vivek Oberoi, interesting. It feels great to have your work reach there. Two, I feel that this is the future. Today in a country of 130 crore, maybe two and two and a half crore people go to a theatre to watch a film. But, smartphones today are with already with 40 crore people, and it’s only a matter of time that every individual will have a smartphone. So, when you are talking about 100 crore smartphone, you are talking about 100 crore people who can consume your content. If you are up on that portal and make enough noise, have great content like ‘Inside Edge’, then you are going to have those many eyeballs, and that’s what you want.

Long ago, there were reports that you are going to do a film with Farhan Akhtar. Is it still happening?

I have a great equation with Farhan (Akhtar), Ritesh (Sidhwani), and Excel as a company, and I like working with them. In the past we have discussed a whole bunch of ideas and concepts, and we continue to discuss them. I am looking forward to do something fun and special with them.

What will it be a web-series or a film?

I don’t have a liberty to speak about it at this time.

Your last film, ‘Bank Chor’ couldn’t do well at the box office. So, how do you take failures?

I take it same way I take success. I take success lightly and I take failures lightly.

Murtuza Iqbal

‘Eat Sleep Bollywood Repeat’ is his life Mantra. Dance is his first love and Rani Mukerji is his eternal crush. He is someone who loves being himself, and as for the ones who don’t agree, his reply? “Talk to my hand!”