vivek oberoi

After keeping a low profile for some time, Viveik Oberoi has been in the news recently for the much-awaited film Shootout at Lokhandwala, where he once again plays the gangster Maya Dolas. We spoke to him about his character and experiences in the movie. Here is the excerpt.

Firstly, Viveik tell us how does it feel to be back in a gangster role after your debut Company?
Yeah, firstly, it is a huge compliment that people still remember Company. It has been almost five years and people still keep talking about Company and gangster roles. It is really nice to be remembered and to feel that people found the role so memorable. While they are both gangsters, they are poles apart too. There is absolutely nothing common between Maya and Chandru. If you put both their pictures side by side, you will see that there is nothing common between the way they look or the way they try to portray. So it is exciting.

Is it that you are getting better recognition in gangster roles than in others?
I have done only one gangster film earlier. Anyways, I don't like to think that way. I like to think like an actor and feel that I'm lucky to receive the love and appreciation of my fans. I have done romantic films, I have done action, I have done dramas, and I have done comedy. People love me for all that I did and I feel really happy for that. I do not think there is any particular genre that people like me in.

Did you go through any homework for playing the character of Maya Dolas?
See, a character like this requires no homework. Because what happens is that when you are trying to portray a character in a film, especially when it is a real life character, you got to have your homework correct. You have to sit down and work, get the entire background, get the entire information. You have to try to understand the mindset of the person, try to understand why he did what he did. And then after that you will have to join that to a little bit of creative liberty, to a little bit of director's vision, to a little bit of the legend and stories around him. It has been 16 years that he has passed way. So all that combined together comes out on the screen as Maya Dolas.

So, did you meet with the friends or family members of Maya Dolas?
I met quiet a few people who were connected to him though I do not have the liberty to speak about it. I have met people connected to them, interviewed them, interviewed cops who were there at the time of the shootout, who actually and eventually killed him. I met general convicts and murderers to try and understand the mind-sets of the psyche. Also we met people who worked with Maya and worked against Maya at that time. I actually tried to get a feel of him. I went to the places where he grew up, where he actually started out with criminal activities. I went through the police files and things like that.

Were you aware of this incident earlier?
Yeah, I knew about the shootout earlier, but not in so much detail. It was only after I got into this character, that I came to know in so much detail. It was fascinating to know so many things.

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