Want to collaborate with people who value me: Vivek Oberoi

Mumbai: Sometimes it is frustrating to wait for good projects but Vivek Oberoi says he is confident about his craft and wants to collaborate only with people who value his contribution.

The actor, known for movies such as “Company”, “Saathiya”, “Yuva”, “Omkara”, “Shootout at Lokhandwala”, “Krrish 3” and the OTT series "Inside Edge", will next be seen in Rohit Shetty's streaming debut, "The Indian Police Force".

Oberoi said since he is not dependent on acting to pay his bills, he wants to do projects that challenge him.

"It's frustrating to wait, and it's like, ‘Somebody get me something exciting to do’... I don’t think you get work by networking, lobbying, and going to parties. That’s not the way I want to work. I want work like how Rohit called me, valued me and said, ‘Give it your best’. That respect is essential for me. I’m not somebody jo katora leke jayega aur bolega kaam dedo, mere paas kaam nahi hai’ (I am not someone who will go begging for work)," Oberoi told PTI in an interview.

The actor said he has made "some wrong and good choices" along the way in his journey as a performer, but going forward, he wants to be "authentic" in what he does. "If I don’t have work, I’ll sit at home, I’ll do something creative. It is not out of ego, it is out of respect for my art. If somebody needs me, they will reach out. I’ve good relations with many people, they are always a phone call away, and when they call me, ‘I say, okay’ (if I like it),” he said.

The 47-year-old actor plays the role of a cop named Vikram Bakshi in Shetty's series which also features Sidharth Malhotra and Shilpa Shetty. He describes his character as an aggressive, passionate and caring man.

Billed as an ode to the police force, the Prime Video series has started streaming on Prime Video.

Oberoi said Shetty wrote the role keeping him in mind, which motivated him to give his best.

"It’s the most beautiful form of praise an actor can receive," Oberoi said, adding, that it also challenged him, “I was like, ‘I better perform on every single scene.” He said he thoroughly enjoyed working with Shetty, who he said is very “focused”.

“He doesn’t dwell, on sets he is quick, if he gets what he wants, he moves to the next. He is very focused. On the second or third day, there was an important scene, which required performance, I did it and asked if he needed one more take, but he didn’t, rather he praised me. I felt so appreciated and loved. In the end, he said, ‘Aapka ration card bann gaya. This means you are part of Rohit Shetty Picturez.” Oberoi also praised directors like Rakesh Roshan and Shaad Ali for writing characters keeping him in mind whether it was the antagonist's role in “Krrish 3” or the lover boy in “Saathiya”.

“‘Saathiya’ was contrary to my previous film, ‘Company’. It was a different character and Shaad kept telling me, ‘I see you in it’. I was like, ‘Let me see the original film (Tamil film ‘Alaipayuthey’), let me see how I fit into this, and if I can play the character’. It’s a difficult character because you have to be as natural as you can. It wasn’t easy,” he said.

“When I did ‘Krrish 3’, it was a similar situation, Duggu (Hrithik) said his dad (Rakesh Roshan) wanted to meet me. When I met Rakesh uncle, he put a script in front of me, and said, ‘As a hero, I don’t know if you will play this role because it is the out-an-out villain but I’ve written this character of Kaal, thinking of you'. I read the script and said, ‘What a great character, and when will I get a chance to play a super villain? I’m doing it’,” he recalled.

Oberoi said he also had to say no to great movies like Rajkumar Hirani’s “Munnabhai MBBS”, Saif Ali Khan-starrer “Hum Tum”, “Bunty or Babli”, featuring Abhishek Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan-fronted “Om Shanti Om”, for various reasons.

“With Raju Hirani it was not a rejection on the level of script but it was because of dates. With regards to ‘Hum Tum’, I had said yes to the film but I couldn’t do it because I had met with an accident. So, I had to exit out of that project (‘Hum Tum’). With ‘Om Shanti Om’, I had a choice to do Arjun Rampal’s role or Maya Dolas’s role in ‘Shootout at Lokhandwala’, so I picked Maya Dolas.” “Indian Police Force” is currently streaming on Prime Video.