Vivek Oberoi's life in pics

On Vivek Oberoi's 34th birthday, we go through the various phases of his life in pics…

Born to Bollywood actor Suresh Oberoi, Vivek was destined to enter the Indian film industry. The actor did his schooling from Mayo College in Ajmer.

Vivek did his Masters in film acting from New York.

On his return to India, he started writing scripts.

Before he got into mainstream Bollywood, the actor was dating a certain Gurpreet Gill. The couple had even got engaged, only to break up later.

Aishwarya Rai had broken up with long-time boyfriend Salman Khan when she started dating Vivek . Though none of the actors ever went public with the details, they were the most talked about couple in Bollywood.

From their kiss in Kyun Ho Gaya Na to their public appearances together, gossip mongers wouldn't stop talking.

This was followed by the infamous Ash-Vivek break-up.

Matters only worsened for the actor, when he went public with the details of a particular conversation he had with Salman Khan where the actor was threatening to kill Vivek.

Vivek's recently got engaged to Priyanka Alva. The couple is likely to get married on October 29, 2010.

After upsetting major Bollywood biggies, his professional career slowed down to a big halt. He distanced himself from Ram Gopal Varma and the likes.

Vivek confesses that his failure sort of grounded him. He says ,”I think failure is a very good friend. It has taught me a lot. So once I am normal, I realise that opportunities are important.”

At an award function in 2007 where Salman Khan was supposed to be felicitated, Vivek apologized to the actor publicly. Addressing him as ‘bhai' , he bowed down and said sorry.

In 2010 at a press conference he again said that it was his immature young blood speaking.

Written and directed by Ram Gopal Varma, Rakta Charitra is Vivek's latest venture. The movie is based on the life of slain political leader Paritala Ravindra, played by Vivek and is slated for an October release.

Vivek was rumored to have fallen-out with mentor RGV during his break-up with Aishwarya Rai and this movie brought them back together again.

In Prince, the Indian remake of Hardwired, Vivek was cast opposite Aruna Shields. Though the movie failed to make an impression at the box office, Vivek's realistic and stylish performance was well received by the critics.

The controversial Kurbaan had Vivek playing the role of an American –Indian man Riyaz. His acting was appreciated by many. It was obvious that he had graduated as an actor over the years.

According to Vivek this movie was his second comeback, after a lot of ups and downs .

In Mission Istanbul we saw him as a Turkish commando, gyrating to Mika Singh's Apun Ke Saath Jo Ladega . Rumour has it that Vivek had personally selected the six Russian dancers for the song.

Shootout at Lokhandwala had Vivek playing the role of a Mumbai gangster whose character was believed to be strikingly similar to Mahindra Dolas. He received accolades for his dark performance, this not being the first time.

Naksha was deemed as a disastrous remake of The Rundown and Vivek failed to make an impression. This was around the time he was believed to be going through a rough patch, both in his personal and professional life.

The critically acclaimed Omkara, which was a remake of Shakespeare's Othello, had Vivek playing the role of a vulnerable man in a totally rural background.

He won the Best Supporting Actor award for his brilliant acting.

In Pyare Mohan he played the role of a deaf man. The comedy failed to tickle the funny bones of the audience and performed poorly at the box office.

Home Delivery , in which he played the role of a writer, was a major disappointment. The movie was one of the biggest flops of the year 2005.

In Kisna: The Warrior Poet, Vivek Oberoi again failed to impress. The film was set in the 1940s and was only noticed for its soundtrack.

In Kaal, he was seen as an unruly tourist Dev Malhotra. Set in the deep green jungles, the movie was a thriller also starring Ajay Devgn, John Abraham, Lara Dutta and Esha Deol. The film performed fairly well at the box office.

In a comedy role in Masti , he failed to perform and the movie bombed at the box office. Critics claimed that comedy was clearly not his forte.

Vivek Oberoi was seen on-screen for the last time with his then girlfriend Aishwarya Rai in Kyun ho Gaya Na . Soon after, the couple broke-up and Vivek's career went haywire.

He was seen in Yuva as the carefree Arjun, madly in love with Kareena Kapoor. The movie is a remake of the Tamil movie Aayutha Ezhuth and was received positively all around.

Vivek broke a leg while filming for the movie and was hospitalised for a couple of days.

His story was one amongst many other parallel stories in Darna Mana Hai. The film received an average response.

In Dum he was appreciated for his portrayal of a young man who dreams of becoming a police officer. Vivek was slowly carving a place for himself in the industry as a serious actor.

He romanced Rani Mukherjee in Saathiya. His love-struck look won a lot of hearts but failed to get him any awards.

In Ram Gopal Varma's Road we saw Vivek opposite Antara Mali. RGV lived up to his reputation as an innovative director with this venture. Vivek got the Most Promising Newcomer Screen Weekly Award.

Vivek got the debut of his dreams with RGV's Company where he got to play the role of a young man Chandu, a newbie in the world of crime. His performance was noticed and he even won the Filmfare for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

According to reports Vivek had turned down a part in the Ash-Abhi starrer Guru.

On being questioned, he refused to comment on his relationship with Aishwarya and if he had fallen-out with Director Mani Ratnam.

Oberoi is not just an actor, but over the years has grown to become a social activist of sorts.

The actor believes in following a simple lifestyle as he abstains from drinking and smoking.

Vivek is also the spokesperson for World Health Organization's anti-tobacco campaign.

Nicknamed ‘Rockstar' Vivek has so many sides to him. We find him having a gala time at some party, only to spot him at some charity event later.

He and his family have created the Yashodhara Oberoi Foundation to help those in need.

He was recently awarded the Good Samaritan Award from Rotary International for his help during the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.