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Vivek Gomber

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Vivek Gomber
Born1979
Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
NationalityIndian
Occupations
  • Actor
  • producer
Years active2002–present

Vivek Gomber is an Indian actor and producer who has made significant contributions to Indian, British, and American cinema. He is a recipient of a National Film Award along with multiple international awards.

He started with minor role in Hindi television daily soap Astitva...Ek Prem Kahani in 2002, Gomber steadily carved his path, making notable appearances in projects such as the acclaimed legal drama Court (2014) and the romantic drama Sir (2018), where he demonstrated his ability to portray complex characters with depth and nuance.

Not limited to acting, Gomber ventured into production and founded his production company, Zoo Entertainment Pvt Ltd, in 2014. He brought compelling narratives to life through films like Balekempa (2018) and The Disciple (2020) which garnered recognition and accolades on the global stage.

Career

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Gomber began his acting journey with a minor role in Zee TV's Hindi soap opera Astitva...Ek Prem Kahani (2002).[1] He continued to make appearances in various projects, including the bilingual short film The Morning Fog in 2006, where he portrayed a weather guide, and the international film Exitz in the following year, albeit receiving negative reviews from both audiences and critics.

In 2008, he joined the cast of the British-Indian comedy series Mumbai Calling, helmed by Sanjeev Bhaskar, which was set in the fictional Teknobable call center located in Mumbai. Following this, Gomber played the role of a call center accent trainer in Kunaal Roy Kapur's English language satirical mockumentary film The President Is Coming in 2009.[2] This film delved into the behind-the-scenes chaos surrounding President Bush's visit to India, receiving acclaim from critics.[3][4] During this period, he also contributed to Vinod Mitra's drama film Meridian Lines, although the film is yet to be released.

His breakthrough came in 2014 with his portrayal of a Gujarati defense lawyer in Chaitanya Tamhane multi-lingual legal drama film, Court, alongside Vira Sathidar and Geetanjali Kulkarni.[5] The film, which explores the intricacies of the Indian legal system through the trial of an aging protest singer accused of encouraging a manhole worker to commit suicide, earned him widespread recognition. Gomber also served as a producer for the film, a role offered to him by Tamhane.[6] Court had its premier at the 71st Venice International Film Festival and was screened at numerous other prestigious international film festivals,[7] including Auteur Film Festival Serbia, the Washington DC South Asian Film Festival, Minsk International Film Festival, Singapore International Film Festival, International Antalya Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Vienna International Film Festival and Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema.[8] It was India's official submission for the 88th Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category, although it did not receive a nomination.[9] Gomber's performance as Vinay was lauded, Suhani Singh of India Today noted, "Gomber demonstrates the frustrations and challenges of a helpless lawyer struggling to help his client and let truth win. His Vinay comes closest to voicing the audience's viewpoint of the case."[10] The film received several awards, including Best Feature Film at the 62nd National Film Awards. In the same year, Gomber appeared in the American biographical drama The Letters, based on the life of Albanian-Indian Catholic nun Mother Teresa.[11]

Gomber (left), Geetanjali Kulkarni (center) and Chaitanya Tamhane (right) at the trailer launch of their film Court in 2014.

In 2018, Gomber took on a leading role opposite Tillotama Shome in romantic drama film, Sir.[12] He portrayed Ashwin, an architect who returns from the U.S. and finds himself disillusioned with his fiancée, gradually developing feelings for his maid.[13] Premiering at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, the movie later had theatrical releases across European countries. However, it wasn't until November 2020 that it hit screens in India.[14] Alongside his acting endeavors, Gomber produced the Kannada drama film Balekempa, a poignant tale exploring the intricacies of a bangle seller's relationship with his wife. Garnering numerous nominations worldwide, the film earned the FIPRESCI Prize at the Rotterdam International Film Festival.

Next in 2020, he appeared in Mira Nair's British television drama A Suitable Boy, set against the backdrop of independent India. Critic Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV praised his portrayal, noting, "Gomber is delightfully on the ball as Arun Mehra"[15] Also in 2020, he teamed up with Tamhane once again, this time as a producer for the Marathi drama film The Disciple.[16] This film made history by entering the main competition section at the 77th Venice International Film Festival, marking the first Indian film since Monsoon Wedding (2001) to compete at the prestigious event. It went on to win the FIPRESCI International Critics Prize[17] and received accolades at the Toronto International Film Festival, Independent Spirit Awards and Asian Film Awards.[18][19][20] In 2021, Gomber reunited with Shahana Goswami in the Netflix series Bombay Begums.[21]

In 2024, Gomber stepped into the main lead in Hansal Mehta's action crime drama series Lootere. The series revolves around the gripping narrative of a Ukrainian trading vessel under attack by Somali pirates on international waters. Gomber portrayed an illicit businessman of Indian origin, stationed at the Mogadishu port.[22] Selected after six months of rigorous auditioning and look tests, Gomber's performance was highly acclaimed.[23] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express praised his portrayal as entertaining, stating, "Gomber goes full-tilt camp at his Gandhi, yelling-shouting-chain-smoking,"[24] Ronak Kotecha of The Times of India hailed his character as the undisputed don of Somalia, adding, "Gomber stands out as Vikrant Gandhi - a recklessly confident character that is created with finesse and indulgence. This bad boy demands your attention and whether you like him or hate him, you cannot ignore him. That’s mainly because Gomber makes it his own."[25]

Filmography

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Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released

Films

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Year Title Role Language Notes Ref.
2006 The Morning Fog Raja English Short film [26]
Hindi
2007 Exitz Indian Barman English
2009 The President Is Coming Rohit Seth [2]
2013 Meridian Lines Fredrico Dumukh Hindi Unreleased film [27]
Glass Bottom Boat English Short film
2014 The Letters Ashwani Sharma [28][11]
Court Vinay Vora Marathi Also producer [29]
Hindi
English
Gujarati
Leap of Faith Sam English Short film
2018

2024

Sir

Jigra

Ashvin

Hansraj Landa

Hindi

Hindi

Feature [12]

Television

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Year Title Role Language Notes Ref.
2002 Astitva...Ek Prem Kahani Harsh Hindi [1]

Web series

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Year Title Role Language Notes Ref.
2008 Mumbai Calling Lovely Singh English
2020 A Suitable Boy Arun Mehra Bengali [30]
English
Hindi
Urdu
2021 Bombay Begums Arijay Sinha Hindi [31]
2024 Lootere Vikrant Gandhi Hindi [32]

Producer

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Year Title Language Notes Ref.
2014 Court Marathi [6][33]
Hindi
English
Gujarati
2018 Balekempa (The Bangle Seller) Kannada
2020 The Disciple Marathi [16]

Play

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2023 Betrayal Robert

References

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  1. ^ a b "Astitva Ek Prem Kahani TV Serial - Watch Astitva Ek Prem Kahani Online All Episodes (1-668) on ZEE5". ZEE5. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Konkona calls the President - News - Bollywood - Hindi - Entertainment - The Times of India". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  3. ^ "The President Is Coming Movie Review". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Masand's Verdict: The President Is Coming". 16 January 2009. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  5. ^ Bhatia, Uday (10 April 2015). "Made in India, courted abroad". mint. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  6. ^ a b "This Man Is India's Bravest Producer And The Reason The Film 'Court' Exists". HuffPost. 9 April 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  7. ^ "India's Chaitanya Tamhane on Venice film fest jury". Hindustan Times. 1 August 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Courting magic on screen". The Indian Express. 6 October 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  9. ^ "India out of Oscars race: 'Court', 'Jalam', 'RangiTaranga', 'Nachom-ia Kumpasar' fail to make it to nominations' list". Firstpost. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  10. ^ "Court review: The compelling drama is the finest film of 2015 so far". India Today. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  11. ^ a b Goldstein, Gary (4 December 2015). "Review: 'The Letters' delivers a warm, inspiring portrait of Mother Teresa". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  12. ^ a b Bradshaw, Peter (14 May 2018). "Sir review – sexual tension brews in Mumbai". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  13. ^ "Sir Movie Review : A soul-stirring tale of emotional intimacy, dreams and belonging". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  14. ^ "Sir, Rohena Gera's Cannes award-winning romantic drama, to release in Indian cinemas on 13 November". Firstpost. 4 November 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  15. ^ "A Suitable Boy Review: Mira Nair's Adaptation Is Replete With Riches". NDTV.com. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  16. ^ a b Rangan, Baradwaj (5 September 2020). "Chaitanya Tamhane, After The Premiere Of The Disciple At The Venice Film Festival: "Every Film Is A New Battle"". www.filmcompanion.in. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  17. ^ "Venice Film Festival 2020: Chaitanya Tamhan's The Disciple wins FIPRESCI award". India Today. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  18. ^ "Tamhane's 'The Disciple' Wins Again, This Time At TIFF". News18. 20 September 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  19. ^ "第十五屆亞洲電影大獎入圍名單及評審主席公布". 9 September 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  20. ^ Galuppo, Hilary Lewis,Mia; Lewis, Hilary; Galuppo, Mia (26 January 2021). "Film Independent Spirit Awards: 'Never Rarely Sometimes Always,' 'Minari,' 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,' 'Nomadland' Top Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 4 April 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ "Bombay Begums review: Pooja Bhatt is brilliant in Alankrita Shrivastava's inelegant but empowering Netflix show". Hindustan Times. 8 March 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  22. ^ "Leading actor in Jai Mehta's Lootere, Vivek Gomber discusses show's larger than life setting". Mid-day. 24 March 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  23. ^ "Did You Know? Vivek Gomber's Audition For Jai And Hansal Mehta's 'Lootere' Lasted For 5 Hours". Outlook India. 24 March 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  24. ^ "Lootere review: A tense, high-wire hostage drama". The Indian Express. 22 March 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  25. ^ "Lootere Season 1 Review : This bloodsoaked Somali hijack drama is not for the faint-hearted". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  26. ^ "The Morning Fog Videos and Trailers | The Morning Fog Cast and Crews | The Morning Fog". www.indianfilmhistory.com. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  27. ^ Hungama, Bollywood (1 December 2010). "Meridian Lines Movie: Review | Release Date (2010) | Songs | Music | Images | Official Trailers | Videos | Photos | News - Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  28. ^ Staff, T. H. R. (24 November 2015). "'The Letters': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  29. ^ Guidry, Ken (15 July 2015). "Review: Legal Drama 'Court' Borders On Brilliance". IndieWire. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  30. ^ "Series adaptation of 'A Suitable Boy' to premiere on Netflix on October 23". The Economic Times. 10 October 2020. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  31. ^ "Netflix India 2021 slate announced: From Fabulous Lives season 2 and Kapil Sharma to Abbas-Mustan's next, see full list". Hindustan Times. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  32. ^ "Lootere review - Rajat Kapoor-Vivek Gomber's series sails through choppy waters". OTTPlay. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  33. ^ N, Patcy. "'I won't make a typical Bollywood film'". Rediff. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
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