Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai

Mumbai, Nov 16: Actor Vivek Oberoi, son of veteran star Suresh Oberoi, has opened up about his early struggles in Bollywood, saying that long before he debuted in Ram Gopal Varma’s Company (2002), he worked behind the scenes — even cleaning rehearsal rooms — without revealing his famous lineage.

In a conversation with Mashable India, Vivek said he trained under choreographer-filmmaker Farah Khan, starting from the very bottom.

“I used to assist Farah for a long time. I started by cleaning rehearsal rooms, bringing tea for dancers… I never told anybody who my dad was,” he said.

Vivek also recalled a near-fatal accident during the shoot of his film Road. Travelling from Bikaner to Jaisalmer at night, he said he had repeatedly warned the driver to slow down due to low visibility.

“I reclined my seat and suddenly a massive crash happened,” he said. A camel cart carrying iron rods suddenly appeared on the road. “Those rods smashed the windshield and entered the car. If I hadn’t reclined, they would have gone through me,” he added. The rods were stuck over his head, trapping him inside, yet he escaped without a scratch.

“I almost died that day. I vowed never to travel at night again,” he said.

Currently promoting Masti 4 with Aftab Shivdasani and Riteish Deshmukh, Vivek also shared a prank they once played on Aftab during the shoot of the first Masti in 2004.

“Aftab had bought a new Mercedes. We stole his keys and parked the car two lanes away. When he came out, his expressions… his blood pressure dropped! He begged us never to prank him with his car again,” Vivek recalled with a laugh.

Vivek continues to promote his upcoming release, reuniting with his long-time co-stars in the hit comedy franchise.