Vivian Dsena went from football drills to prime-time thrills, and honestly, same—life rarely sticks to our game plan. One day you’re chasing goals, next day you’ve got blue contacts and fangs on national TV. If you grew up on Star One after-school binge sessions, this one’s nostalgia with extra garlic. Let’s rewind on how a would-be striker became India’s first mainstream TV vampire, and why Gen Z still stans the lore.
1. Childhood Goals: The One Where Football Was The First Love
Before every nightly TRP and fandom meltdown, there were 6 a.m. practice runs and a house where footballs flew more than slippers. Vivian’s dad played pro football for the Indian Railways, so this ‘never give up’ attitude is literally inherited property. He’s always said, “footballer hona tha, actor banke reh gaya”, choosing practice matches over gym selfies any day. He even reps celebrity matches for the All Stars Football Club, proving once a striker, always a striker. Every desi kid’s dilemma summed up: engineer, doctor, ya striker-YouTuber?
Image courtesy RadioCity
2. ‘Fangs & Fame’: India Meets Its First TV Vampire Craze
Cut to: the year is 2010, and Star One just dropped ‘Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani’. Suddenly, every teen was rooting for a ‘silent, brooding ladka’ who did more eye-zooms than homework. Abhay Raichand, with blue contacts, melodrama, and full Dehradun vibes, was India’s OG answer to the Twilight craze. ‘Fangs and Fame’, as The Hindu called it, made Dsena poster-boy material overnight, with his rage-face and those now iconic fang-reveal scenes. Honestly? Desi TV hasn’t felt this goth since.
Image courtesy The Hindu
Image courtesy JioHotstar
3. Rejections, Reality TV, And A Second Wind
If this feels like a clean ascension, wait for the plot twist. Vivian powered through nearly 400 rejections before landing his breakout role, yep, Bollywood-level ‘you’re not the hero bro’ montage energy. Fast-forward to 2025: he dived into Bigg Boss 18, flipping the script from ‘TV’s gloom king’ to ghar-ghar ka contestant. Even after finishing as runner-up to Karan Veer Mehra, he was zen, apologising to fans, promising a bigger comeback, and making viral waves with Bahrain fan-welcomes and finale roast drama. If ‘sabko second innings milta hai’ were a person, it’s this guy.
4. The Pop-Culture Legacy: Why The Abhay Era Still Hits
Let’s be real, the Abhay Raichand era ruined us for regular romance. The show ran a whopping 331 episodes, classic rain-kissed forest settings, blue-eyed close-ups, tragic anti-hero deals… aur kya chahiye? Hotstar edits and throwback reels still flood Insta, and every supernatural show that followed (thank you, Balaji) owes a little to this cult classic. Proof that our toxic trait is loving emotionally unavailable immortals, no matter the decade. Seriously, has any villain’s hair ever been meme’d this hard?
5. Full Circle: Playing A Footballer On Screen, Manifest-Style
You know life comes full circle when your two biggest loves merge, filmy style. In roles like Sirf Tum, Vivian got to play a footballer for real, combining acting chops with pitch moves. Post–Bigg Boss 18, fandoms want either a supernatural reunion or a sports dramedy next. Kya hi meta moment hai, bachpan ka sapna finally gets national screen-time.
From railway-ground early mornings to national TV’s most famous fangs, Vivian Dsena’s story is pure ‘plot twist we didn’t see coming’ energy. If you could pivot your first love into your dream job like this, what would it be?