Omi Vaidya is an Indian American actor who is best known for his performance as Chatur Ramalingam or "The Silencer" in the 2009 Bollywood film, 3 Idiots. In addition, Vaidya has directed two short films and worked as an editor on others. He has also appeared in a number of television programs and commercials.
Vaidya was raised in Joshua Tree in Yucca Valley, California.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 next transferred to the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and graduated with honors.
Vaidya commented on his background in a recent interview: "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."
Vaidya married Minal Patel on August 22, 2009.
After college, Vaidya began to work with an agent and received small roles in television programs, and commercials. After receiving a small role in Arrested Development, he was also asked to audition for the role of Sadiq for The Office (U.S. TV series) by the same casting director. He portrayed Sadiq in two episodes, E-mail Surveillance and Fun Run.
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