Vivan Bhatena

Some Lesser Known Facts About Vivan Bhatena

• Vivan Bhatena is an Indian TV & film actor, model, and TV host.

• He was born and brought up in Mumbai.

  

• In an interview, he talked about developing an interest in acting. He said,
  

  I used to get bullied in school, and films became my escape. Television was where I did most of my social learning and understanding of dynamics and how to behave with people. In school, I barely had any interaction with other students. Nobody would talk to me. I grew up as a movie buff. I studied cinema. I love every aspect of it. I think that is what really makes you a part of this industry, otherwise you just really cannot exist in this field without a passion for it.”

• While he was in college, he started working as a model and appeared as a model in the print advertisement for Levi’s Jeans. He then appeared in various print advertisements and TV commercials.

 

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• Vivan was then roped in as a model in many Hindi music videos like ‘Maine Payal Hai Chhankai’ (1999) by Falguni Pathak. In an interview, while talking about working in the music video, he said,
  

  I attended an inter-collegiate event where Levis Jeans was looking for models. I got selected by them. During that time, the casting director of a video (that directors Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru were doing for Falguni Pathak) asked me if I interested, I agreed even though I didn’t even know what the video was about. It became a massive hit. I got Rs 4,000 for a video that was more than enough.”

• After appearing in a few Hindi music videos, he participated in the Grasim Mr India contest and won the title.

• He then thought of doing something different from modelling and joined a theatre group. During an interview, he talked about it. He said,
  

  I was modelling for about three-five years and had got bored of it. It was getting a little stale for me, moving up and down on ramps, changing clothes, were not inspiring me. It wasn’t really stable enough for me; I wanted to do something which moved me more. Hence, I started doing theatre, and understanding acting and seeing what I could do on stage really made a lot of difference.”

• Vivan was then spotted in a music video by the team of Balaji Telefilms. They offered Vivan a TV serial, but the TV serial got shelved. In 2001, he was called for another Balaji TV serial ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.’ He then acted in a few other Hindi TV serials such as ‘Vaidehi’ (2006), ‘Chand Ke Paar Chalo’ (2008), ‘Pyaar Ka Bandhan’ (2009), and ‘Sanskaar Laxmi’ (2011).

• He then decided to quit acting in Hindi daily soaps. In an interview, while talking about it, he said,
  

  I was reaching almost the top of the ladder and the only name ahead of me was Ronit Roy. I quit and rejected a few offers as it was not taking me anywhere. And at that point in time, there was a sudden shift happening where a lot of people who had worked on television shifted to films and left us with the rejects of small-town actors who were very disrespectful and didn’t speak very well. I just kind of felt that this is not a place for me anymore. I also lost a lot of work in television. There were many fights that I’ve gone into for getting the right screen space on television; there were people who were badmouthing me. I couldn’t get work, and eventually, lost a lot of work. But I made sure that it didn’t dampen me. I moved on to films, but yes, I had a very tough time because nobody was willing to give me a part in anything. And for five years, I had to sit at home and do nothing, It was very, very difficult.”

• Vivan then joined the MTV channel as a VJ.

• He has also participated as a contestant in the TV reality show ‘Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 7.’

  

• He has played supporting roles in various Hindi films like ‘Karthik Calling Karthik’ (2010), ‘Dangal’ (2016), ‘Judwaa 2’ (2017), ‘Hate Story 4’ (2018), and ‘Sooryavanshi’ (2021).

  

• He played the role of Lord Hanuman in the Hindi web series ‘Ramyug’ in 2021. During an interview, while talking about his transformation for the role, he said,
  

  I had never done anything like this before. Kunal Kohli approached me for this role. I told him that if I am doing something like this, it has to be worth it. I was actually pitching for the role of Raavan. But he wanted me to play Hanuman. The physical transformation was an interesting and challenging journey for me to undertake. I realised what I can put my body through. I like to do things that challenge me. You don’t always succeed in whatever you do but you give it your best anyway. That is exactly what I try to maintain and achieve.”

  

• He has also been featured on the cover page of various magazines.

  

• His Instagram bio reads,
  

  Actor, photographer, world traveller, foodie, and gizmo geek.”

• Vivan is a dog lover and owns a pet dog named Muffin.

  

• He has a blue coloured Audi car.

  

• In an interview, he talked about his role models. He said,
  

  I grew up in a Parsi household where my father wanted us to watch classic cinemas. I used to be a huge Alfred Hitchcock fan. I loved cinema. It was an escape for me. I used to get bullied in school, and films became my escape. Television was where I did most of my social learning and understanding of dynamics and how to behave with people. In school, I barely had any interaction with other students. Nobody would talk to me. I grew up as a movie buff. I studied cinema. I love every aspect of it. I think that is what really makes you a part of this industry, otherwise you just really cannot exist in this field without a passion for it.”

  He further continued,

  Growing up I idolised actors like Sean Connery, Charlton Heston, Michael Douglas and others. In Bollywood, of course there was Amitabh Bachchan and Dharamji (Dharmendra) who have been a part of some amazing films. I watched a lot of Marathi films also. My mother was a Maharashtrian so we used to watch a lot of comedy films of Laxmikant Berde. Today, I can do a decent comedy as an actor, because I learnt a lot from his films.”

• He is a fitness freak and visits a gym regularly.

  

• He has won various car racing and volleyball championships.

 

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• During an interview, while talking about facing financial difficulties amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he said,
  

  The financial implications became difficult for me. It’s not a joke to raise a child, especially when you want to give the child the best. We lost several actors from the industry due to financial pressure. I don’t think half of them even got reported. People see the outside world of us actors, but they don’t see the anxiety we go through. When everything just comes to a standstill, you don’t know where you’re headed, that can take a toll on you mentally.”