Apoorva Lakhia reveals receiving backlash after casting Vivek Oberoi in Shootout in Lokhandwala

For his 2007 action thriller Shootout in Lokhandwala, Apoorva Lakhia cast Vivek Oberoi in one of the key roles. Vivek had called a press conference and alleged that actor Salman Khan had threatened him. There was an unofficial boycott against Vivek. When Apoorva started his film, he said many producers told him to drop the actor. Only a handful people including writer Sanjay Gupta and other actors Sanjay Dutt and Suniel Shetty backed Apoorva during this time. (Also read: Vivek Oberoi speaks his heart out on lobbying and bullying, 20 years after his infamous press conference: It been a hallmark of our industry)

What is the film about?

Shootout in Lokhandwala is based upon the actual 1991 gun battle that took place in Lokhandwala Complex in Mumbai between gangsters and the police. Sanjay, Suniel Shetty and Arbaaz Khan played police officers, while Vivek essayed the part of a notorious gangster. The ensemble cast also included Tusshar Kapoor, Rohit Roy, Aditya Lakhia, Shabbir Ahluwalia, and Amitabh Bachchan.

Apoorva said he faced a difficult time after Vivek’s casting

In an interview with Siddharth Kannan for his YouTube channel, the filmmaker spoke about the tremendous pressure he was under. He said, “At that time when I casted Vivek, a lot of producers called me and said ‘Replace him or we won’t work with you.’ But I had given a commitment to Vivek, so how do you go back from a commitment? And Sanju sir supported me, Suniel Shetty supported me, Sanjay Gupta supported me. So if the guys are supporting me, I thought why should I think about the future? If Shootout became a hit, whoever rejected me will come back.”

He further added, “But Vivek was a good actor. Whatever he did was wrong, he shouldn’t have done it, but that does not mean he is not talented. I am hiring for his acting abilities. I am not hiring any person for his personality. He is a professional and he was really good when I was reading with him. I think he did a fantastic job.”

Vivek on the unofficial boycott against him

After its release, the action film was nominated for several awards. Recently, when Priyanka Chopra spoke up about moving to Hollywood after not finding work in Bollywood, Vivek had also shared his own experience. He had said how there was lobbying in the industry to make sure he was not involved in projects. He sat home for several months, before turning his attention to other avenues involving philanthropy and business.