From Actor to Entrepreneur: How Vivek Oberoi Built His Rs 1,200 Crore Business Empire

Vivek Oberoi shared how he discovered his entrepreneurial abilities during his teenage years.

Mumbai:

Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi has disclosed that he values assets over money and focuses on long-term wealth building rather than short-term financial gains.

"I realized very quickly that I don't care about money as much as I care about assets," Oberoi revealed to NDTV Profit on Saturday. "That's the first question I ask any founder who comes to work with me. 'Do you want to make money or build wealth?' If he said, 'I want to make money,' I said goodbye. If he said, 'I want to build wealth,' I said, 'Okay, let's consider a partnership.' Because I always believe that at the end of the day, profits are for a quarter, but purpose is for a lifetime."

The son of veteran actor Suresh Oberoi, Vivek has established himself in the business world alongside his acting career. Reports suggest he currently oversees a Rs 1,200 crore business empire.

Describing his business journey, he explained, "For me necessity was the mother of all invention. I was 15-16 years old back in an all-boys school called Mayo College, and my father put me on a 500-rupee pocket money, and I thought that was a lot of money because I came from a boarding school where you had to sign for everything. Invisibly, Dad was paying for it. There was no price tag on anything for me. So there was no perspective."

He further elaborated, "The first week or 10 days in college, I went out for my first date, and my entire month's pocket money was over, was finished. And my dad, thank him so much today for it, to put discipline and values in me. At that time I didn't thank him, but today I do. He said, you had to manage your budget, and you messed it up. You suffer it now. So you figure out how."

Vivek Oberoi recalled how he initially discovered his entrepreneurial instincts during his teenage years. He noted that being part of his target demographic helped him identify genuine problems requiring solutions. To address one such issue, he developed "Care Bear Arch Bears." Oberoi described his comprehensive approach, from sourcing materials to coordinating with manufacturers and creating concept papers for the product launch.

The venture became remarkably successful.

"I remember in the days where my monthly pocket money was 500 rupees; in that single day I must have made some Rs 21,000 to Rs 22,000 profit net. So, that's how I started, and then when I realised I knew how to make money, I kept repeating it. There was a high in it. There was a kick in it. But then I wanted to understand how to invest it, and I was studying economics," he shared.

Vivek Oberoi wanted to apply economic theories in practical business scenarios beyond academic examinations. He sought mentorship from a businessman named Sada to gain firsthand knowledge about stock management, financing, and creating mutually beneficial business arrangements. Oberoi described this collaborative approach as a "dolphin version" of business, contrasting with more aggressive tactics. By aligning with partners, he generated 6-7 percent monthly returns while learning to manage business fluctuations collaboratively, establishing the foundation of his early business philosophy.

"If there's a bad month, we didn't make enough money. It's okay. We would cover up in other months. So that's how I started," he explained.

Vivek Oberoi rose to prominence with films like Masti, Omkara, Krrish 3, and Grand Masti. He married Priyanka Alva Oberoi in 2010, and they have two children together.