Vivek Oberoi

Vivek Anand Oberoi (born 3 September 1976) is an Indian actor and businessman. The son of actor Suresh Oberoi, he began acting in 2002 with starring roles in the Hindi crime film Company and romantic drama Saathiya. His performances in them were praised and he won two Filmfare Awards for the former. He subsequently had intermittent commercial successes in the comedy Masti (2004), horror film Kaal (2005) and action film Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007), while his supporting performance in the dramas Omkara (2006) and Kurbaan (2009) were praised.

Following a decline, he had commercial success in 2013 with the sequels Grand Masti and Krrish 3. He has since expanded to South Indian cinema, playing villainous roles in the action films Vivegam (2017), Lucifer (2019), Vinaya Vidheya Rama (2019), and Kaduva (2022).

Vivek Anand Oberoi was born on 3 September 1976 in Hyderabad, Telangana, to a Punjabi father, Suresh Oberoi, an actor. Vivek's mother Yashodhara, who married Suresh in 1974, is also a Punjabi, hailing from a business family that has been living in South India. Because of such family background, Vivek has a working knowledge of both Telugu and Tamil.

Oberoi went on to study at Mayo College, Ajmer and Mithibai College, Mumbai. At an actors' workshop in London, he was spotted by the director of New York University who took Oberoi to New York, where he completed his master's degree in film acting.

Oberoi made his debut with Ram Gopal Varma's gangster film Company. The film emerged as a critical and commercial success. Jyoti Shukla of Rediff.com called it a "fast-paced film anchored by brilliant performances." She praised the performances of Mohanlal, Ajay Devgn, and Oberoi in particular, and said they are "a treat to watch." Derek Elley of Variety wrote: "By Bollywood standards, a dark and realistic look at the Mumbai underworld through the battle between a powerful don and his vengeful former sidekick, Company manages to cater to Hindi cinema norms while feeding the viewer something a little different." In 2010, Raja Sen wrote in his review: "This finely plotted duel between two gangsters left us battered, bruised and craving more". The film earned him two Filmfare Awards for Best Male Debut and Best Supporting Actor. The same year, he starred in the action films Road and Dum. He ended 2002 with the romantic drama Saathiya alongside Rani Mukerji. The film was a critical and commercial success and earned him a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.

In 2004, he starred in the comedy Masti and the political thriller Yuva, both of which emerged as critical and commercial successes.

In 2005, he played the title character in Subhash Ghai's Kisna: The Warrior Poet. In 2006, Oberoi appeared in the crime drama Omkara, Vishal Bhardwaj's adaptation of Shakespeare's play Othello, playing the character of Kesu, based on the character Michael Cassio in the original play. After seeing Oberoi's performance, Gulzar congratulated him.

In 2007, Oberoi played the gangster Maya Dolas in Shootout at Lokhandwala. The film earned him a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Villain.