Kanna chan at 00:21, 21 March 2026

2026-03-21T00:21:58Z

WikiDwarf: Omi Vaidya

2022-10-09T16:21:57Z

Omi Vaidya

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{{Short description|American actor (b. 1982)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2014}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Omi Vaidya
| image =
Omi Vaidya 1.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Vaidya in 2011
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1982|01|10|mf=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Yucca Valley, California|Yucca Valley]], [[California]], U.S.
| alma_mater = {{flatlist|
* [[University of California, Santa Cruz]]
* [[New York University|Tisch School of Arts, New York University]]
}}
| occupation = {{hlist|[[Actor]]|[[film director]]|[[film editor]]|[[writer]]|[[television presenter]]}}
| spouse = {{marriage|Minal Patel|2009}}<ref>{{Cite web |last = Parkar |first = Shaheen |title = Wife's Chatur, too! |work = MiD-DAY.com |publisher = [[MiD DAY]] |date = January 11, 2010 |url = http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/2010/jan/110110-3-Idiots-Omi-Vaidya-Chatur-Ramalingam.htm |access-date = January 18, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130514133520/http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/2010/jan/110110-3-Idiots-Omi-Vaidya-Chatur-Ramalingam.htm |archive-date = May 14, 2013 |url-status = live }}</ref>
| yearsactive = 2003–present
| nationality =American
| children = 2
| known_for = ''[[3 Idiots]]'' (2009)
| website =
| signature =
}}

'''Omi Vaidya''' (born January 10, 1982) is an American actor who works in [[Bollywood]] films. He is best known for his performance as Chatur Ramalingam or "Silencer" in the 2009 buddy-drama film, ''[[3 Idiots]]''.<ref name=interview/> In addition, Vaidya has played roles on ''[[The Office (U.S. TV series)|The Office]]'' and ''[[Arrested Development (TV series)|Arrested Development]]''. Omi has directed many short films and worked as a feature film editor. He has also appeared in a number of commercials and works as a producer.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/features/2009/omi-vaidya-idiot-281209.html |title=Omi Vaidya: The 4th Idiot |date=December 28, 2009 |publisher=oneindia.in |access-date=December 28, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407081650/http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/features/2009/omi-vaidya-idiot-281209.html |archive-date=April 7, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Background==
Vaidya was raised in Joshua Tree in [[Yucca Valley, California]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.criticalmassfilmhouse.com/interviews/omivaidya.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015203101/http://www.criticalmassfilmhouse.com/interviews/omivaidya.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-10-15 |title=CMFH Interviews – Omi Vaidya |publisher=criticalmassfilmhouse.com }}</ref> He graduated from the [[Los Angeles County High School for the Arts]] and later attended the [[University of California, Santa Cruz]] for two years. He then transferred to the [[Tisch School of the Arts]] at [[New York University]] and graduated with honors.<ref name=interview>{{Cite web |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-12-31/news-interviews/28092252_1_omi-chatur-ramalingam-hindi-classes |title=Don't typecast me: Omi |access-date=July 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102024859/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-12-31/news-interviews/28092252_1_omi-chatur-ramalingam-hindi-classes |archive-date=November 2, 2012 |work=[[The Times of India]] |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Vaidya commented on his background in an interview:

{{quote|I live in Los Angeles, USA. That's where I grew up, but every year we used to come to India. My native place in India is Goa and I also did visit Mumbai quite often during my growing up days. I started acting when I was about six in Marathi mandal nataks and some English plays in the US. I learned more about acting in high school and that's when I became really serious about films as a career. I went to NYU film school and learned the ropes of filmmaking, editing, acting, etc. I learned the technical language used on the sets. After graduating in honors from NYU, I went back to Los Angeles and began auditioning for roles in T.V. serials and films.<ref>[http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/features/2010/01/16/5851/ "I don't want to play another Chatur" – Omi Vaidya] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100202030549/http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/features/2010/01/16/5851/ |date=February 2, 2010 }}</ref>}}

==Personal life==
Vaidya married Minal Patel on August 22, 2009. In 2015, Minal gave birth to their first child. Their second child was born in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://daily.bhaskar.com/news/ENT-BOW-omi-vaidya-becomes-father-of-babyboy-5031625-PHO.html|title=It's a boy! Omi Vaidya aka Silencer of 3 Idiots is a proud father|date=June 24, 2015|website=dailybhaskar|access-date=March 10, 2019|archive-date=October 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201011180227/https://daily.bhaskar.com/news/ENT-BOW-omi-vaidya-becomes-father-of-babyboy-5031625-PHO.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Career==
After college, Vaidya began to work as an editor for horror and South Asian feature films. He continued to act as well and received small roles in television programs and commercials. After receiving a small role in ''[[Arrested Development (TV series)|Arrested Development]]'', he was asked to audition for the role of [[List of characters from The Office (US T.V. series)#Sadiq|Sadiq]] for ''[[The Office (U.S. TV series)|The Office]]'' by the same casting director. He portrayed Sadiq in two episodes: "[[E-mail Surveillance]]" and "[[Fun Run]]." He was also seen in ''[[Bones (TV series)|Bones]]''.

===''3 Idiots''===
Vaidya's most notable performance is in a supporting role in the 2009 [[Bollywood]] film, ''[[3 Idiots]]'' as Chatur Ramalingam (or "The Silencer"). He received strong reviews for his performance.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ibnlive.in.com/printpage.php?id=107739&section_id=8 |title=Masand's Movie Review: 3 Idiots, satisfying not best |publisher=IBM Live |access-date=December 28, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091231173950/http://ibnlive.in.com/printpage.php?id=107739&section_id=8 |archive-date=December 31, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kolkatamirror.com/index.aspx?page=article&sectid=10&contentid=20091225200912251642507296efb952&sectxslt=&pageno=1 |title=Review: 4 Idiots |publisher=Kolkatta Mirror |access-date=December 27, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100206002233/http://kolkatamirror.com/index.aspx?page=article&sectid=10&contentid=20091225200912251642507296efb952&sectxslt=&pageno=1 |archive-date=February 6, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Vaidya auditioned for the role of Chatur while on a trip to [[Mumbai]]. After passing the first audition, he was asked during the second to read dialogue from ''[[Lage Raho Munna Bhai]]''. Vaidya states that he "just rattled it off without exactly understanding the words, almost like the speech scene in ''3 Idiots''." After being signed for the part of Chatur, he was told not to study Hindi, not to watch Hindi films, and to gain weight.

Of his success in the film, Vaidya credits the atmosphere of the cast and crew stating that in Mumbai there is "a personal touch, unlike Hollywood. Even if they don't pay you by the hour and there is no extra time, there is warmth and care. I basically saw my Bollywood innings as a challenge. A lot of credit also goes to Raju and Abhijat Joshi for the way the character came across on screen."<ref name=interview/> He was also discouraged from providing interviews before the release. Vaidya states: "Before the film released, I asked director Rajkumar Hirani if I could give a couple of interviews. He stopped me saying nobody knew me and I should wait till the film is released. My role was a surprise they had planned for the audience."<ref>[http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/idiot-on-the-roll/563346/ Idiot on the roll] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004221245/http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/idiot-on-the-roll/563346/ |date=October 4, 2012 }}</ref> Vaidya later recalled that, "When I was at the premiere of ''3 Idiots,'' no one recognized me. I was a bit depressed but when it got over, it was difficult for me to even get out of the theater. I have been enamored by the love and appreciation I have received from the audience. Today, when I go out on streets, people come and shake hands with me. It feels nice."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://movies.ndtv.com/|title=NDTVMovies.com : Bollywood News, Reviews, Celebrity News, Hollywood news, Entertainment News, Videos & Photos|website=movies.ndtv.com|access-date=March 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190310153815/http://movies.ndtv.com/|archive-date=March 10, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

===''Big in Bollywood''===
''Big in Bollywood'' (2011) is a [[documentary film]] about American actor Omi Vaidya's journey from a struggling [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] actor to a successful Bollywood breakthrough with ''3 Idiots''. It was sold to Netflix and is now available on YouTube.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Heymont|first1=George|title=Big in Bollywood (That's What Friends Are For)|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/george-heymont/big-in-bollywood-movie_b_1122412.html|work=[[Huffington Post]]|date=1 December 2011|access-date=December 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141201084020/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/george-heymont/big-in-bollywood-movie_b_1122412.html|archive-date=December 1, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Awards==
'''2010 [[Screen Awards]]'''
*'''Won''': [[Screen Award for Best Comedian|Best Comedian]] – ''[[3 Idiots]]''
*'''Won''': [[Screen Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Male|Most Promising Newcomer – Male]] – ''[[3 Idiots]]''<ref>[http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/features/2010/01/09/5835/index.html Winners for Nokia 16th Annual Star Screen Awards 2010] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507081338/http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/features/2010/01/09/5835/index.html |date=May 7, 2010 }}</ref>
'''2010 [[IIFA Awards]]'''
*'''Nominated''': [[IIFA Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role|Best Performance in a Comic Role]] – ''[[3 Idiots]]''
*'''Won''': [[IIFA Award for Star Debut of the Year – Male|Star Debut of the Year – Male]] – ''[[3 Idiots]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oceanofweb.com/bollywood/iifa-awards-2010-winners.html|title=IIFA Awards 2010 Winners|date=June 8, 2010|access-date=March 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180829124242/http://www.oceanofweb.com/bollywood/iifa-awards-2010-winners.html|archive-date=August 29, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
'''2008 [[The Valley Film Festival]]'''
*'''Won''': [[Best Short Film]] – ''[[The Desert Rose]]''
'''2008 [[Port Townsend Film Festival]]'''
*'''Won''': [[Best Film with Diversity Theme]] – ''[[The Desert Rose]]''
'''2008 [[The Valley Film Festival]]'''
*'''Won''': [[Best Student Film]] – ''[[Out of Time (2003 short film)|Out of Time]]''

==Selected filmography==

===Actor===
;Films
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Film!! Role
!Ref.
|-
| 2007
|''[[Rolling (2007 film)|Rolling]]''|| Assar
|
|-
| 2009
|''[[Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight]]''|| Fish
|
|-
| 2009
|''[[3 Idiots]]''|| Chatur Ramalingam a.k.a. "The Silencer"
|<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/bollywood/story/it-s-sept-5-silencer-aka-omi-vaidya-from-3-idiots-openly-challenges-rancho-to-see-his-success-story-1996766-2022-09-05 | title=It's Sept 5! Silencer AKA Omi Vaidya from 3 Idiots openly challenges Rancho to see his 'success' story }}</ref>
|-
| 2011
|''Big in Bollywood''|| Himself
|
|-
| 2011
|''[[Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji]]''|| Milind Kelkar
|
|-
| 2011
|''[[Desi Boyz]]''|| Ajay
|
|-
| 2012
|''[[Players (2012 film)|Players]]''|| Sunny Mehra
|
|-
| 2012
|''[[Jodi Breakers]]''|| Nano
|
|-
| 2017
|''[[Mirror Game]]''|| Vikram
|
|-
| 2018
|''[[Blackmail (2018 film)|Blackmail]]''|| Boss DK
|
|-
|2018
|''Astro''
|Dr. Ramesh
|
|-
|}

;Television series
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! TV Show !! Role !! Notes
|-
| 2005–2007
|''[[The Office (American TV series)|The Office]]''||[[List of The Office (U.S. TV series) characters#Sadiq|Sadiq]]||Episodes: "[[E-mail Surveillance]]"<br>"[[Fun Run]]"
|-
| 2008
|''[[Life (American TV series)|Life]]''|| Vairam ||
|-
|2008
|''[[Bones (TV series)|Bones]]''|| Hamid Hirani || Episode: [[Bones (season 4)#Episodes|The Crank in the Shaft]]
|-
| 2009
|''[[Kath & Kim (U.S. TV series)|Kath & Kim]]''|| Prakash ||
|-
| 2014
|''[[Growing Up Fisher]]''|| Elliot ||
|-
|| 2015
|''[[For Here or to Go]]''|| Lakshmi ||
|-
| 2016
|''[[Brown Nation]]''|| Balan Sree Ramakrishnan ||
|-
| 2019 —present
| ''[[Metro_Park_(web_series)|Metro Park]]'' (web series) || Kannan ||
|}

===As director===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Film
|-
| 2007
| ''Out of Time''
|-
| 2007
| ''The Desert Rose''
|}

===As editor===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Film
|-
| 2003
| ''Out of Time''
|-
| 2004
| ''Delusion''
|-
| 2005
| ''Bloodshed''
|-
| 2006
| ''The Gold Bracelet''
|-
| 2007
| ''Remember the Days''
|-
| 2008
| ''Blind Ambition''
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{Bollywood Hungama person}}

{{IIFA Award for Star Debut of the Year – Male}}
{{ScreenAwardBestMaleDebut}}
{{Screen Award Best Comedian}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaidya, Omi}}
[[Category:1982 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:21st-century American male actors]]
[[Category:Male actors from California]]
[[Category:American Hindus]]
[[Category:American male actors of Indian descent]]
[[Category:American people of Marathi descent]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:Male actors in Hindi cinema]]
[[Category:People from Yucca Valley, California]]
[[Category:American expatriates in India]]
[[Category:American expatriate actors in India]]
[[Category:Tisch School of the Arts alumni]]
[[Category:University of California, Santa Cruz alumni]]
[[Category:Los Angeles County High School for the Arts alumni]]
[[Category:Screen Awards winners]]
[[Category:International Indian Film Academy Awards winners]]

Omi Vaidya - Revision history

Kanna chan at 00:21, 21 March 2026

WikiDwarf: Omi Vaidya