Prateek Tanmay
4 min readNew DelhiJul 6, 2026 03:36 PM IST
Even after a hit debut with Ram Gopal Varma’s Company (2002), Vivek Oberoi experienced a severe career slump in 2003. Following his public feud with superstar Salman Khan, the actor faced professional isolation, in which he had no work and braved many rejections. During the tough period, his friend and Deewane Huye Paagal (2005) co-star Akshay Kumar came to his support.
During an interview with Mirchi Plus, Vivek recalled getting a call from the actor, asking what he’s doing at home. “Akshay Kumar, superstar! Called me one day and asked, ‘Where are you?’ I told him that I am at home, very depressed. Half an hour later, he landed at my house. He said that he wanted to sit and talk to me. Then, he asked me about what problems I was going through,” he shared.
He continued, “He said, ‘See, I can’t do anything about all of this, but I can help in shaping your positive mindset’. He then said that there are so many shows going on, I have many blockbuster songs, and he is busy with shoot. So, he can’t do these shows due to his busy schedule, and he can divert them to me.”
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What surprised Vivek Oberoi was that Akshay offered him his own shows to make him feel positive about himself, which eventually helped him gain confidence again. “‘You start doing them. Whatever inquiry is coming for me, I’ll send it to you’, he said. He didn’t want to do it and asked me to take them up. Kya baat hai! Who does something like this for someone?”
He further added, “With that help, I started going back on stage, started seeing fans in a show, they are cheering, and I got a good positive feeling. I earned money also. My frustration was that I am delivering films, they are achieving success, getting awards, but why am I still not getting work? Why the boycott? So, he didn’t say I will stand up for you, I will fight against the lobby, etc. He gave me a simple, practical solution.”
‘There are things you cannot control’
Earlier, during an interview with Pinkvilla, Vivek had accused Salman Khan of intimidating him and opened up about not getting enough film opportunities. “It’s very difficult to get out these situations. You keep telling yourself that it’s just a matter of one movie, that you just need to perform and show people. You are doing films like Omkara and Shootout at Lokhandwala, you are getting awards and appreciation. But then people are telling you that we want to work with you but we can’t, there is too much pressure,” he had said.
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The actor added, “People kept telling me, ‘Samajh ja yaar. Kaun pange lega? (Try to understand. Who would take a risk?)’ When that happens you can’t figure out how to get out of the situation, because there is no logic to it. You have worked hard, given the performances but there are things that you cannot control. There is a lobby telling people that they can’t work with me.”
Meanwhile, on the work front, Vivek Oberoi will next be seen playing the role of Vibhishana in Nitesh Tiwari’s highly anticipated epic Ramayana: Part 1. It is set to hit the theatres on Diwali 2026.
