Vivek Oberoi and Rani Mukerji starred in Shaad Ali’s romantic drama film, Saathiya, and stole the hearts of cinephiles with their incredible chemistry. But when the celebs were shooting for the 2002 film, they were mobbed by nearly 2000 fans. This is when the director asked Vivek to get into Rani’s makeup van after he started panicking.
During a chat with The Indian Express, Vivek Oberoi recalled being mobbed by fans during the shoot of Saathiya. Going back in time, he revealed that on April 12, 2002, his movie Company was released, and that Sunday, they were shooting the memorable scene in which he chases Rani Mukerji. Since it seemed like a normal day near Gaiety Galaxy’s railway channel, they started filming. By that time, Rani had become a star who had a security guard.
But suddenly, at around 11, people started shouting Chandu Bhai (Vivek’s character’s name from Company). Even though he was very fascinated by it, things started getting real when the crowd went from 4-5 people to almost 2000 and the entire security arrangement went kaput. “I was panicking because one day was getting wasted. Shaad wanted to get me out of there, so he pushed me into Rani’s makeup van and I was looking outside the window,” Oberoi stated adding that fans were shouting the dialogue.
Finally, the team had to call the cops and requested him to get out of there. The director Shaad opened the door, and he told the Shootout at Lokhandwala actor to stop and see the crowd that was there for him. “He told me I was a star,” recalled Vivek adding that the police then put him in their van and took him away like a common criminal. They returned and shot the same scene next Sunday with proper police protection.
During the interview, the actor also shared his experience of filming for the small-budget film. The Indian Police Force actor stated that only Rani used to get the makeup van while he had to go and change in restaurant bathrooms and hotel washrooms. Moreover, he did the touch-ups on the streets as nobody knew who he was.
Vivek even used to carry the tripod on his shoulder and walk with the rest of the crew. Interestingly, the actor shot for 22-23 hours non-stop for Saathiya and used to put newspapers on the bench to take naps and look fresh.
