`Best that he speaks for himself`: Vivek Oberoi reacts to cousin Akshay`s claims

Bollywood actor Akshay Oberoi had earlier openly spoken about his family ties with his cousin Vivek Oberoi. Despite being part of the same film family, Akshay, who is the nephew of veteran performer Suresh Oberoi, went on to claim that he had “no real relationship" with Vivek. Now, Vivek Oberoi has broken his silence on Akshay`s comments and refuted the claims.

Vivek Oberoi breaks silence on Akshay Oberoi`s comments

Vivek Oberoi while talking to Hindustan Times, said, “I did ask him myself what happened, and what is this interview about? He said ‘no, it’s been misinterpreted’, but it`s best that he speaks for himself. As far as I’m concerned, I love Akshay and I am very proud of what he has done."

The actor added, “As a family, we are always there at each other’s birthdays. They always come to our house on Diwali or my parents’ anniversary. So, we have a lot of celebrations together, and we have some great memories of growing up together."

Expressing pride in Akshay as an actor, he said, “The one thing, though, which is true and I’m very proud of him for, is that he has made his path his own way, just like I’m proud that I did my own way too. I didn’t have any uncle, aunt, chacha, taya, mama saying, ‘I’m gonna launch you and you are going to get a break because of me.’ I never had that kind of support system. Whatever I am today, I have been through the grind, worked hard, and God’s been kind."

“And the same goes for Akshay. Every bit of success and acclaim that he has is well deserved because he is the only one responsible for it, and that’s how it should be. It shouldn’t be because of whose nephew you are, whose cousin you are, or whose friend you are. It should be based on pure merit. And Akshay has achieved everything on his own merit, and I am very proud of it," Vivek added.

What Akshay has said?

For the unversed, in an earlier conversation with the Free Press Journal, Akshay shared why he never leaned on Vivek’s name for opportunities in Bollywood. He had said, “I think I’m saying this with a certain level of confidence because nobody knew we were related. Not even the casting people. Nobody knew. And I never used that to my benefit. I never said it because what would I get? It’s not like I could call and approach him either, you know. Unfortunately, I don’t say it with pride, I say it with sadness — that there was no real relationship. So, what would I call and ask him? I just went about my own way."

He added, “I was very sure that no one was going to help me. I didn’t have a mentor, godfather, or guidance in this line. Now that I’m starting to reach somewhere, people are connecting the dots. Journalists ask me, directors I’ve worked with in the past say, ‘You never told me.’ And I’m like — what could I have told you? To share something, something has to exist, right? Our families never got along, and here I was. Maybe we were just unlucky as a family in that way. He and his father are both very good actors, and I’m honoured to be from that lineage. But it would have been fun if we could have done it together.”