Star power to startups: How Vivek Oberoi built a ₹1,200 cr empire across real estate and luxury

From blockbuster films to boardroom deals, Vivek Oberoi’s evolution from actor to entrepreneur has been a journey to watch. In an interaction with Fortune India, Oberoi, whose estimated net worth of more than ₹1,200 crore places him among Bollywood’s wealthiest, talks about his business ventures in ultra-luxury real estate in the UAE, his passion for sustainable jewellery, Bollywood, and what truly drives him as an entrepreneur.

The Bollywood star, who gave hits like Saathiya, Yuva, Omkara, Shootout at Lokhandwala, and Krrish 3, got early lessons in business, thanks to his father, Suresh Oberoi, a prominent actor himself. He attributes his understanding of money -- how it works, how to value it, and how to grow it -- to those early experiences. "Business is something that I've been doing for a long time. I think I have my father to thank for that. He got me involved very early at a young age in business...He would give me products, you know, different kinds of products -- perfumes, electronics, apparel, shoes. And I would go on my cycle, fill up the product into my school bag and go door to door, knocking, selling," he tells Fortune India.

Where it all started: Early teachings by father

Oberoi, who has built a dynamic portfolio spanning real estate, luxury jewellery (Solitario), tech, and education ventures, says his father also taught him how to calculate the cost of inventory, track sales, and account for money received. "I got better and better at it... By the time I was 12 or 13, I'd got so used to doing this every summer. It got me into the basic principles of understanding how to manage a business, how to sell, how to take customer feedback."

Since the value of money and the understanding of how it works were ingrained early on, Oberoi says business was never an afterthought. His biggest venture, BNW Real Estate Developments, is a rising player in the UAE’s luxury real estate market with projects such as Taj Wellington Mews on Al Marjan Island. From learning the tricks of stock market trading to investing in real estate passively, Oberoi credits his early exposure for shaping his disciplined and growth-focused approach, and his talent for finding the "right people" to work with.  

BNW eyes to tap the UAE's luxury real estate in a big way

Oberoi-backed BNW Developments is currently executing 23 ultra-luxury projects, with the company having assets under development of around $7 billion. Speaking about scaling his real estate business in the UAE, Oberoi, who is MD and co-founder at BNW, says he and BNW Chairman and Founder Ankur Aggarwal have turned BNW into a zero-debt company catering to ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs), single-family offices, multi-family offices, and institutions.

He shares that every business he’s built has a "people connection", where he met someone truly passionate and aligned with his values. Speaking about meeting Aggarwal, Oberoi says, “For me, it's not just the idea, but it's also the people. I believe a company must be led by a vision, not just an idea. I met Ankur Aggarwal. Bright, super sharp, very helpful. He came from a place where he lost his father at a young age. Built his journey from nothing."

Oberoi adds, "I said the vision should be to create your own development company. That’s how we set up BMW Developments. We’re a zero-debt company. We’re doing 23 projects, all ultra-luxury. We've gone from a team of maybe 30–35 people to almost 400. We built a lot of capacity."

BNW has become the "single largest private developer" in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, as announced by Abdulla Al Abdouli CEO at Marjan, informs Oberoi. "We started with UHNWIs, then single-family offices, then multi-family offices... now working with institutions. And we’ve built the company to an assets-under-development of roughly around $7 billion," he shares.

Oberoi also highlights the market potential in the UAE, saying nearly 10 billion dirhams of investments expected to flow into Ras Al Khaimah alone, purely from commercial and industrial activity. "Between projects completed and projects in demand. We (the UAE) are 39,800 units short."

Ethical, scalable vision behind Solitario

A commerce graduate from Mumbai’s Mithibai College, Oberoi also spoke about Solitario, a lab-grown diamond brand that he co-founded. He says the company aims to close the year ending March 31, 2025, with revenue in the range of ₹95–100 crore, double from the previous year in both top line and bottom line.

Oberoi says he chose lab-grown diamonds for ethical reasons. “Ever since I saw the movie Blood Diamond, which Leonardo DiCaprio did, I just stopped feeling like wearing diamonds and jewellery. I just felt that it's ethically wrong, it's exploiting kids in Africa. So on a point of principle, I stopped buying and gifting diamonds.”

Speaking about his encounter with Solitario’s co-founder Ricky Vasanani, Oberoi says, "I got fascinated (about the business). I told him, 'Boss, right now you've got a mom and pop shop, not a company'. And he said, 'So how do I scale it?' I laid down the vision. We followed a plan, we followed a vision."

Today, Solitario operates across 8 countries, 25 cities, and more than 100 points of sale. Oberoi says the brand aims to redefine perception and build pride in "fine Indian jewellery". "You always see 'fine Italian jewellery' or 'fine French jewellery', but never 'fine Indian jewellery' -- even though all of those jewels are made in India."

Oberoi's bet on premium gin

The actor-turned-serial entrepreneur also spoke about his latest investment in Rutland Square Spirits Ltd, a premium craft gin company that’s positioned for international scale. He has acquired around 21% equity in the company, valued at just under £30 million. Oberoi says alcohol is an interesting space as a lifestyle play and believes Rutland Square has the story, product, and global appeal to scale. Praising company founder Nishant Sharma, Oberoi adds, "He threw it all away, fancy car, big salary at JP Morgan, to start something that he's truly passionate about."

Beyond these ventures, Oberoi also plays strategic roles in agri-tech firm Agribid, edtech startup iScholar, vehicle care platform ReadyAssist, and global brand accelerator Impresario Global.

If that's not all, the actor is equally involved in Bollywood as well. He mentions about the upcoming projects. "Creatively, I still enjoy being on set. That’s why I’m returning with Masti 4 this summer, and maybe one or two more films that truly excite me."