Vivek Oberoi: From Being Ostracized by Bollywood to Becoming a Business Mogul
Vivek Oberoi: From Being Ostracized by Bollywood to Becoming a Business Mogul
Actor Vivek Oberoi recently shared insights into his alternate career as a businessman.
Vivek Oberoi recently revealed that when his acting opportunities dwindled despite his proven talent in films like “Company” and “Saathiya,” he turned to business to support himself and his family.
“I entered business before becoming an actor,” Vivek told a newsagency. He recounted how, at the age of 15, he started a small business after his father, Suresh Oberoi, gave him Rs 500 pocket money. Determined to be self-reliant, Vivek began working to fund his college expenses, doing voice gigs and compering shows.
Vivek’s business acumen developed early; he started investing in the stock market at 16 and engaged in commodity trading. By 19, he had set up a business in Whitefield, Bangalore, and sold his stake at 21 to fund his studies in New York.
Even during the peak of his acting career, Vivek continued to invest in businesses. He said, “Life was good, but I always wanted to start as an investor. However, I ended up becoming an active businessman. It helped me.”
When his acting career faced challenges despite his success, Vivek focused more on his businesses. In a previous interview, he discussed how he managed financially during this tough period: “I was running my house, charitable foundation, and paying my staff with the money I earned through my business and acting in movies, doing events and making appearances.”
Vivek emphasized that his business ventures provided financial security when his movie roles dried up. He has invested in 29 companies to date. “I was running a school in Vrindavan, helping cancer patients, so when my income from movies started drying up, I knew I wouldn’t be able to continue all these things. That’s when I started active business. Got into real estate, founded some companies, some technology companies grew very big. Today I have invested in around 29 companies,” he concluded.
Vivek Oberoi has never shied away from discussing his personal and professional challenges. Despite the ups and downs in his movie career, he has successfully transitioned into a thriving entrepreneur. Vivek made his acting debut with Ram Gopal Varma’s “Company,” and has starred in several notable films like “Road,” “Saathiya,” “Dum,” “Masti,” “Yuva,” “Shootout at Lokhandwala,” “Rakhta Charitra 1,” “Rakht Charitra 2,” and “Krrish 3.” He was last seen in Rohit Shetty’s web show “Indian Police Force.”
