Vivek Oberoi is back!

I've done a lot of growing up in the past one and a half years... I've introspected a lot and realised that I made some wrong choices in the past. I've been influenced and distracted and made certain bad decisions , which affected my career. But now, I know the key to success - it's doing good work. If I received brickbats, it's because I deserved them. With Shootout At Lokhandwala , I've found myself... The film has brought me a lot of accolades and I'm very grateful to all my fans who stood by me when the rest of the world had written me off. I've realised people can be very forgiving even if you repeatedly disappoint them. I take full responsibility for the lull in my career and am aware that I hadn't been giving my audience what they expected of me. But my character, Maya, in Shootout... has helped me regain my lost passion and in living him, I found myself. I really enjoyed the process of coming into my own.

*Apurva Lakhia is a very energetic, fun guy to be with...

The whole experience of working on Shootout... was like a holiday. Apurva is also a very hardworking and creative director and brings the best out of you. I did a lot of research for my role since Maya was a real life gangster who died in an encounter 16 years ago. He was a larger-than-life guy and I was really awed by him! I spent three months researching on Maya and met murderers, underworld dons and even the cops who shot him.

*My journey from Company to Shootout has been eventful...

I've been in the industry for five years now and have done 18 films. Some of them good, some forgettable and some average . But it was with Omkara that I truly began enjoying the discipline the profession demands of you. And it was Vishal Bharadwaj who influenced me - he changed the way I had been looking at my career. With Omkara I began taking myself seriously. I started being totally devoted to my career.

*The rat race is only for rats and I'm not one...

The industry teaches you a lot and I have to say that it's quite a mayanagari . You get distracted by things that actually shouldn't matter, but it's okay because it's human to err. I've fallen down, stood up, held my head high and moved on. Today, my career has just about begun and I've rediscovered the passion I had as a four-year-old who first went on stage. And I'd also like to say that I never believed in competition , so don't count me in for the race.

*I'm in complete control of my life and career now...

I want to do all kinds of cinema. I also want to work for the right reasons. So in spite of the huge success of Shootout, I haven't signed a single film after that. And yes, I do believe in true love... And that's because I'm a hopeless romantic