Vivek Oberoi Reveals Why He Turned Down Om Shanti Om Villain Role

The actor says a major date clash and back-to-back negative characters led him to reject the iconic 2007 blockbuster.

Vivek Oberoi has revealed an interesting chapter from his career — he was originally offered the role of the antagonist Mukesh Mehra in Farah Khan’s 2007 hit Om Shanti Om. The film, which went on to become one of the biggest successes of the decade, eventually featured Arjun Rampal in the villain’s role. But Oberoi says the part first came to him.

According to Vivek, he had to turn the film down due to a major scheduling conflict. At the time, he was already committed to Shootout at Lokhandwala, a project that required intense preparation and a packed shooting calendar. Both Om Shanti Om and Shootout at Lokhandwala demanded him to play dark, negative characters, and juggling two such roles simultaneously was not creatively or practically feasible for him.

He added that he admired the script of Om Shanti Om and would have taken up the opportunity if the timing hadn’t clashed. The role eventually became one of Arjun Rampal’s most memorable performances.

With this revelation, fans now have a fresh “what-if” moment in Bollywood history — imagining how different the film might have looked with Vivek Oberoi as the iconic villain.

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