Two is company

“In so many years,it was for the first time that I felt a certain passion while doing a film. I used to reach the venue earlier than the scheduled time. It felt exactly the same when I did Company. The only difference was,this film marks my debut in the South with the Tamil and Telugu versions,” says Oberoi,who portrays the character of the Andhra Pradesh politician Paritala Ravi,a rebel-turned-politician. Varma terms this as “Vivek’s best performance”. Oberoi was the director’s natural choice for the role. “There are less than 10 actors in the country,” says the filmmaker,who feels Oberoi has a vulnerable,cocky and arrogant attitude about him which makes him a good actor.

The partnership of Varma and Oberoi goes back to 2000 when the latter’s father,veteran actor Suresh Oberoi,had come to Varma with a few pictures of his son. “At that point,I was looking for somebody to play Chandu in Company. Suresh (Oberoi) happened to come to me at the right time. I looked at his photographs and immediately decided to cast him,” reminisces Varma. Oberoi was happy to be debuting with the talented filmmaker,who was known for successful films like Satya,Rangeela,and Shiva. “There was no way I would have said no,” says the actor,who became a popular face in Bollywood soon after the release.

After the release of Company,the news of their fallout did the rounds,until Varma announced Rakht Charitra with Vivek in the lead. “There was no fallout. Ramu Sir was just unhappy with the kind of films I was doing,and rightly so. But it’s in my nature to explore different subjects,” Oberoi smiles. Varma,as a matter of fact,says,“I don’t have time to fall out with people,others may do. I called Vivek when I thought I had a role that suited him best.”

But the call turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Oberoi who was going through a tough phase in his career. “I remember shooting in Manali when Ramu Sir called and I stood up out of sheer respect for him,” says Vivek,who is all praise for his mentor. “People slow down with age,but Ramu Sir has become faster and slicker with his films. He forms the edit in his head even while a shot is being executed.”

Oberoi has experimented with various genres,but it is characters like Chandu,Maya Dolas (Shootout in Lokhandwala),and Kesu Firangi (Omkara) that have won him accolades. Varma feels the same. “As a layman,I wouldn’t want to see him in ‘sugary’ roles.”

With Varma and Oberoi making a comeback after eight years,there are bound to be comparisons between the characters Chandu and Paritala Ravi,as well as the films. “The film is more stylish. Company had a documentary style of filmmaking which I have been known for. Rakht Charitra is slicker,” promises Varma. “And as far as Vivek is concerned,in spite of him being a ruthless killer in the film,the audience will have an emotional connect with him. When given the right brief,he is the perfect actor.”