Vivek Oberoi on Inside Edge: Show's success leaves me vindicated

A still from Inside Edge 2

Vivek Oberoi decided to foray into digital entertainment with Amazon Prime's Inside Edge, well before the country witnessed the OTT boom. As the second season dropped over the weekend, the actor wears a look of content, secure in the knowledge that the gamble has paid him rich rewards. "People felt I had lost the plot. They weren't aware [of the potential of] OTT content and wondered why I was doing a serial. Also, with the show, we were swimming against the tide as everyone in this country loves cricket and we were showing the murky side of the game. So it was a tough call," says Oberoi, who plays mastermind Vikrant Dhawan who runs a successful cricket league, in the show.

In a 17-year-long run in the industry, the actor has seen it all - from overnight success to abject failure. The success of the Karan Anshuman-created show, he says, has once again turned the tide. "People had written me off often, but when the audience loves me in Inside Edge, it gives me a sense of validation and vindication. It has allowed me to pick and choose from the offers [coming my way]. It hasn't been an easy journey as I have had to start all over again, several times, but I have never given up."

On the big screen, Oberoi was last seen in PM Narenda Modi, a biopic that received attention and flak in equal measure for its subject. A self-admitted Modi bhakt, the actor is proud of the film. Ask him if a sequel is on the cards, and he says, "It was an incredible journey to play this amazing persona. The audience's feedback has been positive. Any actor would give their right arm to play the character. We have not even scratched the surface. The legacy of Narendra Modi by the end of his term is going to be unparalleled, so never say never."

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