EXCLUSIVE: Akshay Oberoi on completing 15 years in the film industry: “I was paid Rs. 1.50 lakhs for my debut film Isi Life Mein”; speaks highly of Salman Khan, “He called us on Bigg Boss out of his love for Sooraj Barjatya; he had lot of ideas for marketing”
One of the most loved and talented actors of our times, Akshay Oberoi, completed 15 years in the film business on December 24. His debut film, Isi Life Mein (2010) was backed by Rajshri Productions and was a sweet, clean family entertainer and peppered with soulful and peppy music. Sadly, the film sank without a trace due to poor promotion and a clash with Tees Maar Khan (2010). However, Akshay Oberoi persevered and worked in memorable films and shows like Pizza (2014), Gurgaon (2017), The Test Case (2017), Flesh (2020), Fighter (2024), The Broken News 2 (2024), the recently released Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari (2025), to name a few. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Akshay Oberoi spoke about Isi Life Mein and looked back at his memorable journey.
How did you bag the lead part in Isi Life Mein? Also, I believe you were doing plays with Makrand Deshpande before joining films…
I was in the US. I went to Johns Hopkins University. I studied theatre in the States as well. Then I came to India. I didn’t know anything or anyone. So, I went straight to Prithvi Theatre because at least it was about theatre and I knew that world. This is how I started doing plays with Makrand Deshpande. He didn’t care about my US stuff. He told me, ‘Pehle toh tu backstage kaam karega’! I kind of worked my way to the top gradually.
I don’t recall exactly, but someone in Rajshri knew that I was doing theatre and that person told Sooraj Barjatya ji and director Vidhi Kasliwal about me. The lead protagonist in Isi Life Mein is someone who runs a Dramatics society in college. That probably made them call me. I did a series of auditions. They knew that I had stayed in the US. So, they extensively tested me for my Hindi diction. I did one Hindi test, one camera test, one normal audition etc. It ended with the camera test and finally, I got the role.
Do you remember your first meeting with Sooraj Barjatya?
Yes, I remember very clearly. The whole Rajshri parivaar had assembled in the room – Sooraj ji, Kamal babu (Kamal Kumar Barjatya), late Raj babu (Rajkumar Barjatya) etc. They had asked me to bring my father along as well as they are very family-oriented people. Sooraj ji gave me a scene from their film, Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se (1978). I had not even seen the film. Yet, when he asked me, ‘Aapne yeh film dekhi hai?’, I replied, ‘Haan, bilkul. I have seen all the films of Rajshri’! He asked me to read out that scene. I read it and then Sooraj ji asked me to read it in a different way. Then, he gave me another scene and instructed me on how to read it. By the end of that exercise, I kind of got a sense that he had liked it. But Raj Babu wanted to know about my Hindi. That’s when I did the Hindi test.
This was followed by the camera test. The second camera test happened to check my pairing with Sandeepa.
Sandeepa Dhar was your first co-star. How was the experience of working with her?
The way life goes, we haven’t been in touch for a long time. But since she was my first heroine, she’ll always have a special place in my heart. Everytime I meet her, all the memories of the film come back. However, our life went very differently. I started doing indie films like Pizza, Laal Rang, Gurgaon etc. Her acting career went in a different direction; she soon signed Dabangg 2 (2012) and she also got into dancing.
Salman Khan appears in a cameo and he’s seen talking to Rajnandini (Sandeepa Dhar) on the phone. Did you guys get a chance to meet him?
Yes, of course. We met him during the dubbing. We were dubbing and then when he came, we paused to meet him and to let him dub his lines. That was my first meeting with him. My second meeting was when he called us to promote our film on ‘Bigg Boss Season 4’. No one asked him to do so. He did it on his own out of his love for Sooraj ji. He got in touch with Sooraj ji and got it done.
You once mentioned in an interview ‘Salman Khan helped us in the marketing aspect to a certain extent for this film’. Did you hint at the promotion on ‘Bigg Boss Season 4’?
Yes, that’s what I meant. He had lot of ideas for marketing the film and I remember he would bounce it off to Sooraj ji. This happened while we were having a meeting at the dubbing studio. I was observing it and it made me realize how much he loves Sooraj ji. Whatever Sooraj ji does, he likes to help in whatever way possible.
The end credits of Isi Life Mein show the BTS glimpses. In one of the shots, we see Imran Khan on the sets as well…
Imran and I have been friends since 2001. We met at Kishor Namit Kapoor’s acting lab. It was my first film. He had become a big star by then, thanks to Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na (2008) and he had paid a visit to our sets. It was the first day of our shoot; we were filming in a bungalow in Juhu. He came to wish us luck.
How much were you paid for your debut film?
I was paid Rs. 1.50 lakhs.
What were you doing on the day of release? Did you go to the cinema halls?
I was crying! At the box office, the film was a disaster. Everyone knew it on the day of release; it was immediate. We did do theatre visits with Sooraj ji, though. I also read reviews; I read it even today. Nevertheless, it was a painful memory as the film was a washout. It was thrown out of the theatres. I was 25 when it was released. I remember I wondered, ‘What happens now?’. I knew it very clearly that the struggle would start from that point.
I thought that since it was a Rajshri film, the sky is the limit at that moment. But when reality struck, it was traumatic. It was not easy. If I am grateful for anything, it’s the fact that I was able to come out of all that, rise above it and keep working.
Do you think later on, once you did memorable work and became known, people saw Isi Life Mein? Do fans talk to you about it now?
Yes, it happens often. I often bump into people at the airport. Those who love the film really love it. They have seen it 30-35 times. I am told, ‘The film helped me sail through my college years’ or ‘Everytime I am low, I watch your film’. So, it found its own audience as time passed. But that audience was not there when the film was released!
Are you still in touch with Sooraj Barjatya?
He’s a very private person and not social. I message him whenever I hear that he’s making a film. I do this with a lot of other directors as well. This is my way of connecting and telling them ‘Hey, remember me? Think of me if you are making something’! That is the only kind of touch Sooraj ji and I have. Unfortunately, outside of that, we don’t have any other interaction. Also, he likes to keep to himself and I don’t want to disturb him. If he has any role for me, I’ll be more than happy to do it.
How do you look back at your 15-year journey?
It’s been a slow and steady journey. But it’s only been on an upward trajectory. The greatest part was that I was always employed. Now that I have been in the industry for so long, I realize getting work regularly is also so difficult. It’s a huge blessing. So, I am grateful that I survived and I am grateful that I still work. Also, I feel that my best is yet to come. It’s around the corner.
If my first film had worked and if I had become an overnight star, that journey would also have been difficult. So, I am grateful for the way it went. I have a lot of expectations for the future. Hopefully, it would be nice and rosy if the future works out the way I want it to.
Your first film had a Salman Khan connection and 15 years later, you are working with another Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, on King. How does that feel?
I am fortunate to be a part of this film and for my bond with Siddharth Anand. Even Mamta Anand has been so critical in my journey. When Flesh was released, it was a déjà vu of Isi Life Mein. I felt ‘Kisi ne dekha nahin’. I felt very destroyed as I really liked my work in it. I remember Mamta calling me and saying, ‘I know this hasn’t been watched much. Don’t worry. I’ll get you a role that you deserve’. She kept her word and a year later, she offered me Fighter. Both the Anands have been so instrumental in my life.
Fighter is the reason why I got other films, including King, Toxic and my upcoming film with Netflix. I am so thankful to them. Tomorrow, if they call me for a scene and tell me ‘Yahaan let ja’, main let jaunga! That’s how I feel towards them.
The post EXCLUSIVE: Akshay Oberoi on completing 15 years in the film industry: “I was paid Rs. 1.50 lakhs for my debut film Isi Life Mein”; speaks highly of Salman Khan, “He called us on Bigg Boss out of his love for Sooraj Barjatya; he had lot of ideas for marketing” appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.
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