Vishwajeet Soni: Prem Chopra considers me his son

It’s not easy to live in someone’s shadow, but that’s not the case with actor Vishwajeet Soni, who has been impersonating veteran actor Prem Chopra for decades now. In fact, it’s mimicking the iconic villain that has earned him recognition over the other characters he has portrayed. The actor, currently seen as Prem Choudhary on 'Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai', makes no bones in admitting that he feels fortunate to be called a Prem Chopra lookalike.
While the actor has imitated Feroz Khan, Vinod Khanna and Jeetendra, it was only when he started emulating Chopra saab in 1994, that his career took off. He says, “I started my career with imitating heroes. However, I was more appreciated for my Prem Chopra act. I would also hear people talk in hush-hush tone about how I reminded them of the young Prem Chopra. That encouraged me further to impersonate the legendary actor. I realised that hero banne par itna naam nahi mila jitna villain banne par mila. That was time for lookalikes. Hero toh bahut hain, ek villain bhi ho. My family was fine with me impersonating a villain, because that was getting me fame and money."

Talking about his reason for sticking to the character, he says, “There was a time when I wasn’t getting too much work — from 2005 to 2015. That was when I was trying to break away from the image and attempting other characters. However, nothing could surpass the Prem Chopra character. I had to get back to imitating him to resurrect my career and life. All I have is because of him.”

And what better validation than the man himself praising Vishwajeet for his talent! He says, “I got the opportunity to meet him in 1997. I still remember that I was a bundle of nerves when I met him. He told me to imitate him. Pleased with my performance, he guided me and gave me some tips. I have met him on several occasions since then, and he has always appreciated my work. He considers me his son. In fact, when a programme was organised to commemorate his 60 years in the industry, he asked me to perform the opening act as Prem Chopra; that was a huge honour for me. He said, ‘You remember more dialogues than I do’.”