Vivek Oberoi: From teen crorepati to cleaning floors, serving tea and building a Rs 1200-cr empire

Vivek Oberoi has lived a life that effortlessly blends stardom with sharp business acumen. While audiences know him as a celebrated Bollywood actor, fewer people know the astonishing journey of how he built a multi-crore business empire- starting long before he stepped into films.

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A Teen Who Earned His First Crore

During an exclusive chat with Pinkvilla, Vivek Oberoi revealed how he ventured into the corporate world as a teenager and raised a massive Rs 12 crore at just 19.

The Mastiii 4 actor shared that he earned his first Rs 1 crore when he was still in his teens- proving that entrepreneurship was not an afterthought but an instinct. His hunger to learn pushed him toward unconventional paths and unusual mentors.

He said, “Mehnat karne se kabhi darr nahi lagta tha aur seekhne ka bahut shauk tha toh neeche zameen mein baith ke logon ko guru bana lete the aur bolte the sikhaao, sab sikhaao. Toh seekhte seekhte ek point aaya, where I wanted to create a company. Toh hamne ek supercritical fluid extraction ka plant set up kiya. Wo kaafi success hua. Usko phir humne achhe price pe exit liya.”

His first major business- a supercritical fluid extraction plant- became an unexpected success and a turning point.

The Rs 12-Crore Milestone at 19

Vivek revealed that this initial success pushed him towards scaling bigger ventures.

He added, “And waha se journey shuru hui into investing and building further companies. Toh 19 ki umar me 12 crore rupaye raise kiye, jab I think khud ka contribution 20-25 lakh rupaye hoga. Acha raha, sabne paisa kamaya, always thought of investors first.”

It was a moment that cemented his reputation as a young, visionary entrepreneur.

From Co-founder to Global Business Strategist

As his acting career grew, the Saathiya actor shifted roles in his entrepreneurial journey- allowing him to balance both worlds.

He said, “Shuruaat ki maine as a co-founder, phir dheere dheere jaise jaise time kam padta gaya, I became less of a co-founder and more of an advisor and investor. Now I think advisory ka bhi samay nahi mil raha hai, so now I only focus on running my family office out of the UAE and Mauritius. I manage both of them.”

Today, he runs family offices in the UAE and Mauritius, managing ventures collectively worth over Rs 1200 crore.

The Hidden Struggle: Cleaning Floors & Serving Tea

Interestingly, long before fame and fortunes, Vivek worked quietly under Farah Khan- not as a star kid, but as a nobody.

He hid his identity as Suresh Oberoi’s son and took up every ground-level task assigned to him. This included cleaning rehearsal rooms, sweeping floors, and serving tea to dancers- jobs that shaped his humility and discipline.

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During an interview with Mashable India, the Spirit actor recalled, "To train, I used to assist Farah for a long time. I started from cleaning the rehearsal rooms and bringing tea to all the dancers, and from there I went up. I never told anybody who my dad was. I kept that out."

This phase taught him hard work at the most fundamental level- long before he built an empire or stepped into stardom.