Karan Oberoi, widely recognized as a member of the Indipop boy band A Band Of Boys and the TV show Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, has been out of the public eye for a while. His last project was as a story writer and producer for the 2022 web series Mukhbir. In an exclusive revelation, Oberoi announced that A Band Of Boys is making a strong comeback with a new album set to release in about a month.
“Band Of Boys is coming back with a bang, and we will be releasing a full album that should be out hopefully in a month’s time,” Oberoi shares, marking a highly anticipated return for the beloved band.
For those unfamiliar, Oberoi faced a significant personal ordeal when he was accused of rape and extortion in 2019 during the height of the #MeToo movement, leading to his incarceration. Reflecting on his time in jail, Oberoi recalls, “I would often ask myself, ‘How did I land up here,’ among these hardened criminals. I’ve never even broken a traffic signal, I’m so by the book. What I took solace in was, while I was fighting a very hard battle inside, there were other people fighting a bigger battle outside for me because they were connected to my pain.”
Oberoi acknowledges that he had lived in a bubble all his life, and this incident was a harsh awakening. “I didn’t eat and sleep for six-seven days and thought I was going to die. Everyone thought I was going to die. They didn’t think I could survive the ordeal. But when I saw people standing up and fighting for me, that gave me hope and strength. But, yes, there were times when I thought this is the end of the road for me.”
Although Oberoi was released from jail after a month, he confesses that the dark phase taught him to value human life more profoundly. “I’ve seen such brutality, limited regard for human life in my jail experience that it has made me question everything that I see around me. I had an episode where I could have actually passed away because of asphyxiation. Today, I cherish even the air that I breathe or the trees around me,” Oberoi shares, without delving into further details.
Asked about the industry’s reaction to his arrest and its impact on his career, Oberoi describes a mixed response. “One, there were so many well-wishers that my phone had crashed. I received messages from people who I had worked with twenty years ago. For them, it was shocking to see someone like me linked to such a heinous crime. So, while there was a lot of affection and generosity extended towards me to understand my plight,” he continues, “As for work, it didn’t come my way for a long time [after I was out on bail]. There’s a certain duality in the industry which I think might have led to a situation where a lot of work didn’t come my way, but a lot of sympathy did.”
Discussing his perspective on the #MeToo movement, Oberoi describes it as a “wonderful” initiative that allowed women to voice their sufferings. “However, it went wrong, just like any other utopian idea. The simple idea is, we are human beings first, genders later. And there are dark shades of everyone. All kinds of people exist. So, while the movement was right, when it became a tool for prosecution of personal vendetta, then it went South,” he concludes.
With a new album on the horizon and profound personal insights, Karan Oberoi is poised to re-enter the spotlight, bringing both musical innovation and a deepened perspective on life and human values.