Vivek Oberoi recalls being ostracised from Bollywood for standing up against what he perceived as wrong; says filmmakers got calls from underworld

On a podcast, Vivek Oberoi opened up about a controversy he went through in the early 2000s. He says he felt bullied and was persona non grata.

Actor Vivek Oberoi was considered one of the rising stars in the early 2000s thanks to films like Company and Saathiya. However, one press conference in 2003 seemed to change it all for him. Now, years later, Vivek claimed on the Relearn podcast that he was ‘in hell’ during the fallout of the controversy. He also claimed that filmmakers who wanted to work with him would get calls from the underworld, warning them against it.

Vivek Oberoi most recently starred in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana. (AFP)

Vivek Oberoi recalls being ostracised from Bollywood

Vivek was asked to talk about the controversy he faced in the early 2000s even as his career was taking off. Without taking names or getting into details of what happened, he said, “It was a very dark phase in my life. I tried to stand up for something. I came from the thought process that there’s a certain line you don’t cross. Women have to be respected and treated a certain way. I stood up to what I perceived was wrong, and I started being bullied a lot. Despite delivering successes, hits, and awards, a very powerful lobby took over. I became persona non grata. I would have people pulling out of films I had signed.”

He also claimed that everything ‘snowballed and just got worse’ for him, with filmmakers dropping him from projects. And those who stood by him would allegedly receive calls from the underworld. “Those who decided to stick by me for ethical reasons would suddenly call me a few weeks later and say, listen man, I got a call from the underworld. I had gangsters calling me, saying that, you film with this guy and you’re done; you’re toast. I went through real hell, real misery. I didn’t get the work not because I wasn’t able to deliver. It wasn’t based on talent. It wasn’t based on performance. It wasn’t based on work ethic. It was based on something that I couldn’t control,” said Vivek.

Vivek Oberoi’s career

Vivek experienced career fluctuations after early success. He even tried to play morally grey and dark characters in films such as Krrish 3, Vivegam, and Lucifer. After starring in Kesari Veer and Masti 4 in 2025, he starred in Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana Part 1 this year. The actor played Ravana’s brother-in-law and Surpanaka’s husband, Vidyutjihva, in the film. He now has Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit lined up for release. The film stars Prabhas and Triptii Dimri in lead roles. It will be released next year.