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Dubai: Vivek Oberoi was in tears on a Mumbai stage this week, watching a young woman he first met in a hospital ward sign her first film as a leading actor.
Sahara Shah, 22, was a small child undergoing chemotherapy when Oberoi came into her life through the Cancer Patients Aid Association. She is now cancer-free, has completed her aviation training, and has just signed a Nepali film called 26 Crore.
The announcement came on Tuesday evening at the CPAA’s Cancer Rose Day event at Taj Lands End in Mumbai, where she made it as a surprise.
‘I wanted to take your blessing’
Sahara led with her aviation news before turning to the film.
“I completed my aviation training. I’ll see you soon in Dubai, and I don’t think we’ll have distance between us anymore,” she said.
Then came the part Oberoi did not know about.
“I’m playing a lead actress in a film. It’s a Nepali film. I haven’t signed yet. I wanted to take your blessing. You’ve been a huge part of my life. I’ve seen you since I was a child, and I always wanted to follow in your footsteps. I’m not even halfway there. I don’t think I’ll be able to reach any place you are in.”
Referring to him throughout as dada, she spoke about what his support had made possible.
“You’ve always supported me when it came to acting, dancing, and whatever I wanted to do. That gave me so much conviction to dream big for me and my mom. We come from such a background. All of this is such a far-fetched dream. It was all possible because of you.”
She framed the announcement as a gift for his 50th birthday, which fell on 3 September, and which he marked by taking on the treatment costs of 50 more children with cancer.
“Gifting this to him feels like such a small thing because it’s nothing compared to what you’ve done for me,” she said.
Oberoi hugged her, then applauded as she signed the contract on stage and the film’s poster was unveiled.
‘The way she held my finger, I knew she would win’
Speaking to ANI on the sidelines, Oberoi returned to the first time he saw her.
“I can’t tell you. I am so happy and I am crying with pride. I saw this 2.5-year-old girl with red eyes, a white face, and when she had chemotherapy while fighting cancer. I saw her fighting in her body. The way she held my finger, I knew that she would win. I used to pray for her every day. Today, she is cancer free. She is getting the result of her hard work. I am so proud of her.”
On stage, his message to her was shorter.
“This is a very proud moment for me. I want you to fly high in your career, and do very well in films. I feel so happy. God bless you, beta,” he said, adding: “Never forget you’re a winner. You fought against cancer, and are a happy achiever in life today.”
He also asked her to stay grateful, and to open the same doors for others once she is established and financially independent.
Two decades with CPAA
Oberoi’s association with the organisation began in 2002, at the start of his acting career, and he has said his mother’s example inspired it.
“I was inspired by my mother and I wanted to support the cancer patients, especially the underprivileged,” he told ANI.
Over the years he has supported the treatment, education and training of several children with cancer, and has run food bank fundraisers for thousands more.
He and his wife Priyanka Alva Oberoi have two children of their own, Vivaan Veer, 13, and Ameyaa Nirvana, 11.
