Vivek Oberoi, who will complete his 20-year journey as a film actor this year, says he has seen success and failure as a star, and perhaps that is why his attitude toward success has evolved.

After debuting with ‘Company’ in 2002, Vivek became a household name. After that, he enjoyed success with films like ‘Saathiya’, ‘Yuva’, ‘Shootout at Lokhandwala’, and ‘Rakta Charitra’.

He also underwent a rough period in his acting career between 2010 and 2017 before returning to acting with the web series ‘Inside Edge’.

Vivek shares his insights with IANS on how he has learned from both failures and successes.

Vivek said: ” I think my relationship with success has evolved with time because I have seen an equal amount of success and failure. Success for me is like a woman, initially you chase her and she becomes your girlfriend.

“You flirt with her and at times take her for granted and if you lose her you start missing the joy of success. Then you start working hard to achieve it again and then when the girlfriend becomes the mother of your child, you just develop a different level of bonding all over again.

“So yes, with time, with highs and lows the equation changes.”

Vivek also highlighted how failure also shaped his mind as he delivered some of the finest performances in films like ‘Kurbaan’, ‘Krrish 3’, ‘Vivegam’, and ‘Lucifer’.

“With time, I just realised that one should never be afraid of failure because what failure teaches you, success cannot. Failure taught me how to set expectations and what I might just lose when I fail. It also taught me to value things more, so yes, success and failure, both are equally important,” he shared.

He has advice for all the aspiring actors who want to make it big in Bollywood. He is working on the series ‘Dharavi Bank’ and two other films. “I would like to tell everyone that do not feel vulnerable when you fail and do not let success go to your head. You see, after all the tough times I had, I am still here after 20 years, thriving and doing multiple projects; because bad time passes.”

“But yes, do not take success too seriously. You see, when you fail, there will be 20 people to give you free advice, and when you are successful, there will be 200 people around you. Just do not lose your focus on what you want to become, do not get distracted by the noise, then as an artist, you will find your voice,” Vivek said.