20 Years Of Saathiya EXCLUSIVE: “For me, shooting for Saathiya was like reliving my college days. I was dating this very lovely girl. I used to wear a nice shirt and accha se perfume laga ke nikalta tha. Then I used to get on a train. By the time I used to get down at Churchgate station, tab 20 logon ke paseene ki badboo mere shirt pe hoti thi”

By Fenil Seta -

December 21, 2022 - 11:00 AM IST

Saathiya (2002) completed 20 years on December 20 and the film is memorable not just for its plot, songs, performances and romantic moments but also because it showed a very realistic portrayal of couples in Mumbai. It was probably the last film to show how the protagonist, despite being uber-rich, would travel by local trains. Many found this aspect very relatable, especially the ones from Mumbai.

20 Years Of Saathiya EXCLUSIVE: “For me, shooting for Saathiya was like reliving my college days. I was dating this very lovely girl. I used to wear a nice shirt and accha se perfume laga ke nikalta tha. Then I used to get on a train. By the time I used to get down at Churchgate station, tab 20 logon ke paseene ki badboo mere shirt pe hoti thi”

Vivek Oberoi was asked about this during an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama and he said, “It was relatable for me as well. My father (Suresh Oberoi) is a wealthy man. We had 3 cars in our home. After 10th grade, he sat me down. I was 15 and had come back from boarding school. He told me, ‘Look, I don’t want you to think that you have nothing. But I want you to go to college by bus and train. I want you to get experienced and get instilled with good values. One day, you’ll thank me’. I agreed as I respect him a lot. And I started travelling by public transport. I used to go to college by bus. While going to competitions, I used to travel by train.”

Vivek Oberoi continued, “For me, shooting for Saathiya was like reliving my college days. I still remember I was dating this very lovely girl. She used to study at St Xavier’s College in South Mumbai. I used to wear a nice shirt and accha se perfume laga ke nikalta tha. Then I used to get into a train. By the time I used to get down at Churchgate station, tab 20 logon ke paseene ki badboo mere shirt pe hoti thi (laughs)! And those days, there were no AC trains either.”

Vivek Oberoi then revealed, “I used to even have budget dates. There was a scene in Saathiya where I and Rani Mukerji are sitting in a bus. I have done something similar. Paise nahin the. Then, it was not easy in Mumbai to go to a café and hang out with your girlfriend. In restaurants, the staff would ask you to order quickly, pay the bill and leave. Only the beaches were available and nothing else. So, I used to sit in the bus with my girl and take a long ride with her and have long conversations too (smiles)!”

Also Read: 20 Years Of Saathiya EXCLUSIVE: Vivek Oberoi reveals that the film was “supposed to maybe star Abhishek Bachchan and Preity Zinta”