Kamal Ghorui
As ‘Dhurandhar 2’ is making history at the box office, the film starring Ranveer Singh, directed by Aditya Dhar has been the talk of the town on the internet and every cast member has gotten recognition. Actor-producer Bimal Oberoi, who portrays Shirani in the franchise, may currently be going viral through memes, but his journey to recognition has been far from typical. From working in music videos and production to eventually stepping into acting, his career has evolved steadily over the years. Bimal spoke about his long-standing bond with Daler Mehndi, crediting him for playing a crucial role in shaping his path. He said in an interview with Faridoon Shahryar, “Daler Mehndi ji is a friend, brother, mentor. We became friends in the early ’90s, when he was just Daler paaji and not Daler Mehndi yet. When his album Bolo Ta Ra Ra was releasing, he told me, ‘Bimal, let this album release, I will take you to Bombay.’ And he did.”He further revealed how Mehndi supported him financially during his early days in Mumbai. “He gave me 12 cheques of Rs 10,000 each for a year, handed them to me together and said, ‘this is your monthly expense, now start your journey.’ That is how our association began.”Interestingly, Bimal’s entry into performing onscreen happened almost accidentally during the shoot of Mehndi’s hit track Ho Jayegi Balle Balle. “When he came to shoot Ho Jayegi Balle Balle, I had just gone along for the shoot. The directors said there is a part—can we give it to Bimal? Paaji said yes, and it was decided there itself. I ended up playing a main part in the video, and that song became a huge hit.”Before fully transitioning into acting, Oberoi spent several years learning the ropes behind the camera. He worked closely with Anubhav Sinha on Tum Bin, gaining experience in various aspects of filmmaking. “My first film was Anubhav Sinha’s Tum Bin. He involved me in casting and scripting—I learned production with him.” He also recalled his earlier work in the music industry, adding, “Before that, we used to do music videos—Daler Mehndi, Pankaj Udhas, Sonu Nigam—we worked on very big albums.”Looking ahead, Bimal shared that he has several exciting projects lined up. “There are some very good things in the pipeline. I have a role in David Dhawan’s film Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai. I’ve also done an international film, a Canadian production. After Dhurandhar, I got another good film—Dragon by Prashanth Neel, and we’ve started shooting.”
