Ramayana star Vivek Oberoi says he was once a ‘soft target' in Bollywood. Today, his networth is over Rs 1200 crore: ‘I was a persona non grata’

It is not easy sustaining your popularity in Bollywood, and even if you have a strong start, you might lose the status of box-office darling overnight and find yourself going from being talk of the day to being written off. Vivek Oberoi, who was one of the most sought-after leading men in the 2000s with films such as Saathiya, Masti, Shootout at Lokhandwala, etc., gradually lost his popularity as many of his films flopped. He had often said he became a victim of the lobby culture during this period, as many directors declined to work with him. In a new interview, he revealed he went through a very dark phase during this time.

In an appearance on the YouTube channel Relearn, the Masti star said he was bullied a lot for something he stood up for. “A very powerful lobby kind of just took over, and I became persona non grata,” he said.

He was also removed from many films he had signed, and many people who had wanted to work with him had to back off as they were being threatened by the underworld.

Into Real Hell

The actor said this period was “real hell". He said he was a “soft target", and many of his well-wishers and peers had abandoned him. The period he recalled was a “dark place with a lot of anger, alcohol, self-hate, rage that was unchanneled, nonstop humiliation, and people attacking me in the media.”

The actor in a press conference had called out superstar Salman Khan for calling his then girlfriend Aishwarya Rai several times. Salman and Aishwarya were once a couple but later called it quits. He implied it was Khan who lobbied him out of work.

Oberoi is back on the big screen. He plays Vidyutjihva in the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Ramayana.

However, the actor is also a full-time entrepreneur with a finger in many pies, such as real estate and the diamond business. His networth as per ETimes is a whopping Rs 1200 crore.