Vivek Oberoi says Bollywood ‘lobbies’ silenced his rise; recalls feeling trapped and 'helpless' after industry shut him out after accusing Salman Khan

Vivek Oberoi makes new allegations

Vivek Oberoi has once again opened up about the most difficult chapter of his Bollywood journey, a period when, despite early success and acclaimed performances, he found himself abruptly sidelined. In a conversation with Pinkvilla, the actor revisited the mid-2000s slump in his career, describing how the industry “lobbies” blocked his path and how the lack of opportunities pushed him into depression.

Vivek was among the most promising young stars in the early 2000s. He earned praise for films like Company, Saathiya, Omkara and Shootout at Lokhandwala. But things changed drastically after his 2003 press conference, where he accused Salman Khan of intimidation and harassment toward Aishwarya Rai. What followed, he says, was a quiet but firm shutting of doors.

Despite delivering back-to-back impactful performances, Vivek recalled that filmmakers he admired would praise him privately, yet refuse to cast him publicly due to the unwritten rules of industry camps. He explained, “It’s very difficult to get out these situations. You keep telling yourself that it’s just a matter of one movie, that you just need to perform and show people. You are doing films like Omkara and Shootout at Lokhandwala, you are getting awards and appreciation. But then people are telling you that we want to work with you, but we can’t, there is too much pressure.”

The actor said he repeatedly heard the same coded message, a signal of how deep the lobbying culture ran during that time. “People kept telling me, ‘Samajh ja yaar. Kaun pange lega?’ he recalled, adding that the situation made no sense to him logically. “When that happens you can’t figure out how to get out of the situation, because there is no logic to it. You have worked hard, given the performances but there are things that you cannot control. There is a lobby telling people that they can’t work with me.”

Feeling unsupported and isolated, Vivek admitted that the phase eventually pushed him into depression. He described it as an extremely “painful and difficult” time, one where even reaching out to people to “let the whole thing go” resulted in no change.

Also Read: Vivek Oberoi raised Rs 12 crore for business at the age of 19; says, 'Mehnat karne se kabhi darr nahi laga'

However, he believes the industry has evolved since then, especially with the rise of OTT platforms, which he feels have diluted the influence of camps and power groups. “The good thing about the industry today is that these lobbies are either dead or dying. Talent has become really key, and I think that OTT has played a huge role in that,” he said.

He pointed to the hit series Bads of Bollywood as an example. “I look at something like Ba***ds of Bollywood, and I see Aryan Khan, who has put so much into that series, and you can tell that he has worked for every frame. At the same time, you have someone like Raghav Juyal in it, who used to be a dancer during promo shows of our movies.”

Vivek Oberoi is currently seen in Mastiii 4, directed by Milap Zaveri, also featuring Riteish Deshmukh, Aftab Shivdasani, Elnaaz Norouzi and Ruhi Singh.