Vivek Anand Oberoi (born 3 September 1976) is an Indian actor who mainly works in Hindi cinema, in addition to working in few Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Tamil films. Early life Vivek Oberoi was born in Hyderabad, Telangana, to a Punjabi father, Suresh Oberoi, an actor. In 1974, Suresh married Yashodhara, a Tamil, in Chennai. Because of his mother’s family being assimilated in the region, Oberoi is himself fluent in Tamil. Oberoi went on to study at Mayo College, Ajmer and Mithibai College, Mumbai. At an actors' workshop in London, he was spotted by the director of New York University who took Oberoi to New York, where he completed his master's degree in film acting. Career 2002–2009 Oberoi made his debut with Ram Gopal Varma's film Company. It received commercial and critical success. Jyoti Shukla of Rediff.com called it a "fast-paced movie" that is "anchored by brilliant performances." She praised the performances of Mohanlal, Ajay Devgn, and Oberoi, and said they are "a treat to watch." Derek Elley of Variety wrote: "By Bollywood standards, a dark and realistic look at the Mumbai underworld through the battle between a powerful don and his vengeful former sidekick, Company manages to cater to Hindi cinema norms while feeding the viewer something a little different." In 2010, Raja Sen wrote in his review: "This finely plotted duel between two gangsters left us battered, bruised and craving more". Oberoi then starred in the action films Road and Dum. In 2002, he starred in the romantic drama Saathiya, directed by Shaad Ali. The film was a success at the box office and earned him a Filmfare nomination in the Best Actor category. In 2004, he starred in the comedy Masti and political thriller Yuva. Both were commercial and critical successes. In 2005, he played the title character in Kisna: The Warrior Poet. In 2006, Oberoi appeared in Omkara, an adaptation of Shakespeare's play Othello, playing the character of Kesu, based on the character Michael Cassio in the original play. After seeing Oberoi's performance, Gulzar congratulated him. In 2007, Oberoi played the gangster Maya Dolas in Shootout at Lokhandwala. In 2008, Oberoi starred in Mission Istanbul, directed by Apoorva Lakhia and produced by Ekta Kapoor. He performed to the song Apun Ke Saath, produced for the film by Vikas Kohli, at the 2008 International Indian Film Academy Awards. It received negative reviews from critics. Bollywood Hungama critic