It's not about winning the game but playing it, says Vivek Oberoi

Sheetal

Vivek Oberoi has reprised his role as Vikrant Dhawan for the third time in Inside Edge Season 3. Released on December 3, it is being loved by the audiences for its brilliant storyline and performances.

Ask Vivek if he had any idea how successful the show would become when he signed for the first season and he says, “Absolutely not. You don’t know that until you see the audiences’ reaction to it. But I believed in the show because I loved the idea, and also loved Karan Anshuman’s writing and conceptualisation of this whole new world. The idea of Vikrant Dhawan clicked instantly for I got to play something that I had not played before as a character.”

As one of the first mainstream actors to try out the long format on OTT, Vivek is happy to have taken that step. His digital debut series, Inside Edge, saw many firsts, from being the first Indian series to get a nomination for major awards to first original series from Amazon Prime.

But Vivek has been extremely choosy about signing web shows after that. He says, “I was offered shows after the success of Inside Edge but I was selective. Next year is super-packed with travelling and shoots as I have signed two shows and two films. I am currently in Kerala shooting for a film, then have to go to Dubai to shoot for an OTT project and in March-April have to be in the UK for yet another film.”

On the success of Season 3, he says, “It feels amazing that Season 3 got such a great response. Vikrant Dhawan as a character got so much love from fans and critics. The latest season is helpful in understanding why he is the way he is—aggressive, power hungry and control freak. The other thing is the battle which begun in Season 1 takes it final shape now.”

Films or OTT? Both!

It’s difficult for Vivek to choose favourites between film and OTT as far as work is concerned. “Both have their own charm. Films have a finite journey and they have also made me what I am today. And long-format shows allow to get deeper into the characters and stories,” he says.

As Hungama 2, Bunty Aur Bubly 2 became a reality and Bob Biswas’s character from Kahaani was explored, Vivek too lists some of his films which he thinks has the potential for a sequel or prequel. “Of course, we all ponder upon some good characters of ours and long to play them in different light. I sometimes wonder what Aditya and Suhani from Saathiya would be doing today. If Arjun and Meera of Yuva would be together? May be a prequel of Shootout at Lokhandwala to explore Maya Dolas’ life. It will also be interesting to see what happens when Chandrakant ‘Chandu’ Nagre comes out from jail.”

On the post-release promotion trend, Vivek feels, It’s really a smart strategy of OTT platforms to push their projects. Unlike films which have a finite window, to fill up five shows a day in N-number of theatres for two weeks before another film arrives in the scene, digital shows are available at all times. There are people who after listening to the praise the third season is getting will watch first and second season. So, in that sense, digital platforms start promotions only after two weeks of a show’s release.”

On the pressure of coming with the next season one after another, Vivek says, “To be honest, the pressure of the fans keeps us going. So, it’s good. If Season 4 happens it means we are up for two or three more seasons because no new angle can be completed in one season. To meet the expectations of fans is also important. Right now, Karan Anshuman is busy with another season of Mirzapur and another series, Rana Naidu.”

Playing above winning

And after playing a character like Vikrant Dhawan (owner of world’s leading sports management company) does he ever want to own an IPL team? He quips, “Gone are the days when a team was worth some hundred crores. It seems like yesterday. But now the numbers has gone higher to 5-7 thousand crores.”

One thing that he adopted from a character like Vikrant, is the never say die attitude. He adds, “I had a fan who wrote that ‘Vikrant Dhawan is the Jon Snow of Inside Edge.’ He keeps coming back. And that’s the message— ‘It’s not about winning the game but playing it. As long as we don’t give up, we are winning.”

sheetal.dadhwal@tribunemail.com