Vivek Oberoi rose to fame in the early 2000s in the film industry; however, later in life, his career suffered a slump. After his much-publicized spat with Salman Khan, Oberoi faced an involuntary industry boycott; however, he was a fellow star and close friend Akshay Kumar who stood by his side and helped him. In a recent interview, the actor opened up about the time when he had no films or any other projects, and how the ‘OMG’ actor was one of the few people who helped him when no one else was ready.
Vivek Oberoi talks about how Akshay Kumar saved him
Oberoi recalled that after he suffered a downfall and was boycotted in the Bollywood industry in the early 2000s, it was Akshay Kumar who helped him with a helping hand. The actor, while chatting with Mirchi Plus, revealed that at that time he had not been getting any work and was facing rejection with everything, no matter what.However, one day, Akshay Kumar reached out to him on a call. The actor revealed that Kumar had contacted him and had also heard his plight. He added, “Akshay Kumar, superstar! He called me one day and asked, ‘Where are you?’ I told him I’m at home, very depressed. Half an hour later, he landed at my house. He said he wanted to sit down and talk to me. He then asked me what problems I was going through.”He went on and talked about how ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ had told him that he would deflect some of his offers to help him. “He said, ‘Look, I can’t do anything about all this, but I can help shape your positive mindset’. Then he said there are so many shows, I have many hit songs and he is busy with shooting. So he can’t do these shows because of his busy schedule, and he can divert them to me,” Oberoi said of the actor slipping into the roles.Oberoi commented, “He didn’t want to do it and asked me to take them. Kya baat hai! Who does such a thing for someone?”
Vivek Oberoi says Akshay Kumar’s help brought him back to the Bollywood scene
With the help of the fellow actor with shows and other projects, he was able to get good roles and even earn good money at that time. In addition, he mentioned that, “With this help, I started to go back on stage, I started to see fans in a show, they are cheering me and I had a good positive feeling. I also made money. My frustration was that I am delivering films, they are getting hits, getting awards, but why I still don’t have a job? Why the boycott?Oberoi also mentioned that instead of saying that he can do something about the boycott, Kumar gave him a chance to work and overcome the boycott himself. “So he didn’t say I’ll advocate for you, fight the lobby, etc. He gave me a simple, practical solution,” he shared.
What had happened to Vivek Oberoi and Salman Khan
Oberoi had shot to fame with his debut films ‘Company’ and ‘Sathiya’; however, it was a comment she had made against Salman Khan that landed her in muddy waters. During a press conference, the actor had discussed how Salman Khan had been bullying him and how he had been doing it because Aishwarya Rai was allegedly with Vivek after she broke up with the ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ actor.