Vivek Oberoi’s struggle story to score debut film is only ‘half true’, says Ram Gopal Varma: ‘His father showed me his photos’ | Bollywood News

4 min readKochiMar 6, 2026 11:09 AM Although he has appeared in several films since then, Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi is still best known for his role and performance in his debut movie, director Ram Gopal Varma’s iconic crime drama Company (2002). Also starring Mohanlal, Ajay Devgn and Manisha Koirala in key roles, Company is often regarded as one of the finest movies depicting the inner workings of the Mumbai underworld.
Vivek has often maintained that Varma initially rejected him because he found him too “polished” to play a hardcore gangster. Following this, he lived in a slum for a few weeks to learn about the lives of people like Chandru (the character he eventually played in the movie). Then, one day, Vivek apparently dressed up like the character and showed up at Varma’s office, which thoroughly impressed the director and led to his immediate casting.
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While this story, which Vivek has recounted multiple times, has often been cited aspiring actors in Mumbai to highlight what it takes to land a substantial role in a notable movie, Varma himself has now stepped forward to claim that the story is only half true. “There is a slight mix-up in that. It’s only half true; that doesn’t mean that he’s lying. After a long time, you may mix up your memories,” he shared during a conversation with Vickey Lalwani.
Varma maintained that he was sure Vivek would be ideal for the role even before they met. He continued, “When his father (actor-politician Suresh Oberoi) showed me his (Vivek’s) photos first… At that time, I was even trying to cast Abhishek Bachchan. But he was very tied up in four or five projects, so it would have taken a long time to get to him. Then, when I started thinking of casting a new guy, Suresh came and showed me his son’s pictures. Then I went with him to his house and saw a short audition video. I was convinced about him (right away).”
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Varma added, “Then once I told him all this, he worked on his look and body language, and then he came to my office. That was not the first time I saw him.” The director maintained that, unlike Vivek’s version, he had never rejected the actor.Story continues below this ad
Vivek Oberoi’s career declined due to poor film choices: Ram Gopal Varma
Commenting on Vivek Oberoi’s career taking a nosedive and the actor’s previous claims that it was presumably caused Salman Khan’s allies in the film industry, allegedly over his relationship with Aishwarya Rai at the time, Varma maintained that he doesn’t believe there are camps in Bollywood. “Everybody is only for themselves, and that’s how it should be. That is human nature. Then, in your social group, you might have your friends. You keep meeting them, talking to them, and it will be perceived as a camp. Jealousy is also inherent to human nature.”
Varma opined that Vivek’s career declined due to his poor film choices. The director maintained that he would have soared had he continued taking on intense characters like Chandru. “Had he stuck to characters like the one he played in Company — high-intense and aggressive, like a young Nana Patekar — that would have been the right route for him to continue. No matter whether the films were good or bad, they would have added to a certain thing. Instead, he got into love stories and comedies. I think that’s what affected him,” Varma said, adding that he has told the actor this directly several times.