A romantic tale

Despite belonging to a filmi family,it took him two years to get a break in Hindi cinema. New kid on the block Akshay Oberoi talks about his debut film Isi Life Mein and his trials and tribulations.

Despite belonging to a filmi family,it took him two years to get a break in Hindi cinema. New kid on the block Akshay Oberoi talks about his debut film Isi Life Mein and his trials and tribulations.

Launch Vehicle
I play Vivaan Arya,a college student in Isi Life Mein. Vivaan is very passionate about theatre and is the chairperson of the dramatics society in his college. His dad wants him to be a chartered accountant but he wants to follow his passion and do things on his own terms. I think there is a Vivaan in all of us and Im sure that the youth will connect with him. Playing Vivaan wasn8217;t really difficult as in a way he resembles me. Our thought-processes are the same and so are our aspirations. Vivaan is passionate about theatre and so am I! In the film the students of the dramatics society including me perform a play by William Shakespeare. That sequence will always be very memorable for me. There is also a lot of dance in the film. Fortunately I have been dancing since I was a kid and have been trained in Jazz,Hip-Hop and contemporary dance forms.

Casting Coup
After returning from the United States,I was on the look-out for a role in a Bollywood film. I had joined a theatre group and used to hang around at Prithvi Theatre during the day. Whenever I got some free time I used to go knocking at producers and directors doors hoping for a role. It was around that time that someone at Rajshri Productions got to know of me and asked me to audition for the lead role in Isi Life Mein. I went for the auditions and bagged the role.

Stepping-Stone
I have always been keen on pursuing acting as a profession. It was the acting bug in me that drove me to acquire a Bachelors in Theatre Arts from John Hopkins University in USA. After that I attended a theatre school in New York,where I got a chance to act in plays. Post my stint at the school,I spent six weeks at Playhouse West,one of Los Angeles best acting schools. I then returned to Mumbai and had to struggle for two years before I got my first break. During those years I performed with Makrand Deshpandes theatre group. Theatre gave me the chance to hone my craft. As an actor,it was my playground.

First Shot
The very first shot for the film was my birthday sequence. My friends and I had to perform to a rock number. The director had conducted plenty of workshops with us before the shooting began. So,most of the cast was very comfortable with each other. The workshops reduced my burden.

Lessons Learnt
I have a filmi background. I am Vivek Oberois first cousin. But in a way I do not consider myself to be a part of the industry. As I did my graduation abroad I never really got a chance to spend quality time with Vivek. He is a tremendous actor and I am a huge fan of his,but I am trying to make it in the industry on my own terms. I have learnt that one needs to be extremely humble to survive here. There is a certain price one has to pay to be in the industry and every newbie goes through a struggle. I went through one too. But,it is for each actor to come out strong after that phase. The most important lesson I have learnt is not to take people,especially the crew,for granted. All of us are here for a reason. Its best to do your job without having too many starry airs.

Stumbling-Block
There have been a couple of films for which I was approached earlier. I was very sure that the films would materialise. But,they did not see the light of day. It was very disappointing. I figured out that in this industry one has their ups-and-downs but you have to fight through that. I cannot call it a stumbling-block but it was a huge challenge for me to shoot with Mohnish Behl,who is a very experienced actor. It was kind of nerve-wrecking for me. I had rehearsed my lines well before the shoot. But when I faced him I forgot all my lines. I was really stressed out. Realising how nervous I was, Mohnish took an extra effort to make me feel comfortable. He cracked jokes with me and that broke the ice.

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Matinee Idol
I will love to work with Vidhu Vinod Chopra. As I am a huge fan of Amitabh Bachchan,I would love to work with him too. Salman Khan has a cameo in Isi Life Mein. But unfortunately I did not get a chance to share any screen-space with him. I hope that I will be able to work with him in the future.

Future Projects
For now I just want to concentrate on promoting Isi Life Mein. There are a couple of projects in the pipeline. But I think that it is too early to speak about any of them. I hope that all the projects materialise,unlike the previous ones,and Ill keep my fingers crossed till then.

anita.aikaraexpressindia.com