Upala KBR (DNA; June 1, 2017)

Vivek Oberoi will soon be seen in a 12-part web series titled Power Play, based on the Indian Premier League (IPL). Vivek’s character is said to be inspired by Lalit Modi who was the first Chairman and Commissioner of the IPL and had founded it in 2007.

Vivek says, “I can’t tell you who I play right now, but when I start promoting the series in July, I will. All I can say is, my character plays the cricketers. The character is completely wild and dark. It’s based on a cricket league, but I am not telling you which one. It has been shot on a bigger budget than films. That’s the beauty about web series — you get to go the extra mile and push the boundaries. You do things which normally you would think twice before doing in films or plays.”

Adds Vivek, “The web becomes a very personal space as you consume privately. It doesn’t make you feel awkward if you are sitting and watching something on your phone and not with your children at home.”

Vivek’s character is ethically bankrupt in Power Play. The actor agrees, “I have done stuff I would never have imagined doing on screen. I have so many ethic-related issues on screen. I am not talking about kissing or intimate scenes — but how a character would treat a woman or what he would say to her. I have my ethical boundaries, but in Power Play, I was uncomfortable as I was stepping out of my comfort zone.’

For Vivek, apart from exploring a completely dark character, there is the excitement of acting in a web series too for the first time. “Farhan (Akhtar) and Ritesh (Sidhwani) called to ask me if I would do it. I watch lots of web series and find them so cool. I wanted to do something like this, as you can play so much with content. When I heard about the story I found this to be probably one of the darkest, most interesting characters that I have ever got offered. I had only one condition — you have to make my character darker and that’s what we did. We worked on it and in two weeks, just sitting and jamming with my director and the creative team, we figured how to take this guy to the next level. It will be revolutionary for the Indian ethos. I am enjoying a purple patch where as an actor I am being able to explore so many roles. I am loving it!”

About Lalit Modi
Under Lalit Modi, it was alleged that Congress minister Shashi Tharoor held indirect free equity in the Kochi Tuskers Kerala franchise. As a result it led to Tharoor’s resignation. Immediately after the 2010 IPL concluded, Modi was suspended from the BCCI over misconduct, indiscipline and financial irregularities. In 2013, an inquiry followed, finding Modi guilty of the above charges, resulting in a lifetime ban. Though Modi claimed innocence, shortly before the Enforcement Directorate launched an investigation against him and Modi moved to London.