- Bimal Oberoi credits Daler Mehndi for early financial and career support in the 1990s
- Oberoi began his career behind the scenes, working on music videos and film production
- He worked as executive producer on films like Tum Bin, Ferrari Ki Sawaari, Singh Is Kinng, and PK
Actor-producer Bimal Oberoi, currently gaining attention for his role as Shirani in the Dhurandhar franchise, has opened up about his unconventional journey in the entertainment industry.
From working behind the scenes to featuring in music videos and eventually finding recognition as an actor, Oberoi's career has evolved over several decades.
Early Support From Daler Mehndi
Oberoi credited singer Daler Mehndi for playing a crucial role in his early years.
Speaking about their association in an interview Faridoon Shahryar, he said, "Daler Mehndi ji is a friend, brother, mentor. We became friends in the early '90s, when he was just Daler paaji and not Daler Mehndi yet. When his album Bolo Ta Ra Ra was releasing, he told me, 'Bimal, let this album release, I will take you to Bombay.' And he did."
He further shared how Mehndi supported him financially when he moved cities. "He gave me 12 cheques of Rs 10,000 each for a year, handed them to me together and said, 'This is your monthly expense, now start your journey.' That is how our association began."
Oberoi also recalled how he ended up featuring in the popular track Ho Jayegi Balle Balle. "When he came to shoot Ho Jayegi Balle Balle, I had just gone along for the shoot. The directors said there is a part-can we give it to Bimal? Paaji said yes, and it was decided there itself. I ended up playing a main part in the video, and that song became a huge hit."
Learning Filmmaking And Production
Before focusing on acting, Oberoi spent several years understanding the craft behind the camera. His first major film association was with Anubhav Sinha.
"My first film was Anubhav Sinha's Tum Bin. He involved me in casting and scripting-I learned production with him," he said.
He added that his work in the music industry preceded his film journey.
He shared, "Before that, we used to do music videos-Daler Mehndi, Pankaj Udhas, Sonu Nigam-we worked on very big albums."
Over time, he took on responsibilities as an executive producer across multiple projects. "I did three to four films as EP, mostly with friends on their debut projects - Tum Bin with Anubhav Sinha, Ferrari Ki Sawaari with Rajesh Mapuskar, and also Singh Is Kinng. I was also a production consultant on PK."
Working With Ranveer Singh And Akshaye Khanna
Oberoi described his experience working with Ranveer Singh as collaborative and supportive.
He said, "Ranveer was so much into the film; he owned it. During the shoot, he wasn't only Hamza, he would also be the first AD, he would also be the producer, making sure that if somebody new had joined the production, because I had joined quite late, everything was taken care of. On my first day, we had a very emotional conversation before a crucial scene. He made sure everything around me was perfect. That ice-breaking is very important. Though he is younger, he came across like a senior professional. That made the scene like a cakewalk-there was no inhibition after that."
He also recalled a personal moment with Akshaye Khanna.
He said, "With Akshaye, it was his introverted personality, in a good way. Our first sequence together was when I welcome him to my village. I said I'm seeing you after 30 years. I told him that he had come to Dalhousie for a shoot for his first film, and I was living in Amritsar at the time. I got to know that Vinod Khanna sahab had come there, so my friend and I rode a scooter for about 7-8 hours just to see him. He was very happy to hear that. And as I was walking away, he said, 'Bimal, it was not 30 years, it was 31 years.' It was lovely working with him. Even though we didn't have much screen time together, it was still very good."
Bimal Oberoi On Bagging Dhurandhar
Oberoi revealed that landing his role in Dhurandhar required persistence. "They had already shot a major portion and were looking for this character. I auditioned multiple times over a few months. They would send it for feedback, call me again, it went back and forth. Then I met Aditya Dhar, and he asked me to grow a real beard and shave my head. I said yes immediately because it's such an amazing role. A lot of preparation went into it. Since I restarted acting in 2018, this became a very important opportunity for me."
Upcoming Projects
Looking ahead, Shirani Oberoi shared that he has several films lined up, including collaborations with established filmmakers.
"There are some very good things in the pipeline. I have a role in David Dhawan's film Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai. I've also done an international film, a Canadian production. After Dhurandhar, I got another good film, Dragon by Prashanth Neel, and we've started shooting."
He also spoke about his continued engagement with theatre. "I have been doing theatre for the last three to four years. We have already done around 50 shows."