Without naming Aishwarya, Vivek Oberoi had said in a 2009 interview that it hurt him when people whom he trusted didn't stand by him during his hour of crisis
Finally when Vivek Oberoi's Bollywood career was on the verge of getting back on track, the 'PM Narendra Modi' actor invited trouble by cracking a 'joke' on his alleged ex girlfriend Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. On Monday Oberoi, who reportedly dated the former Miss World in early 2000s, shared a bizarre meme on Twitter that referred to Salman Khan and Aishwarya's relationship as the 'opinion poll,' Vivek and Aishwarya's affair as the 'exit poll' and her current family with husband Abhishek Bachchan and daughter Aaradhya Bachchan as the 'final result.'
"Haha! creative! No politics here... just life," Oberoi captioned the photo and credited the Twitter account that shared it. While the actor might have posted the exit poll meme, a take on the 2019 Lok Sabha election thinking it is funny, others did not share the same feeling. Many including his fellow actors called it "crass", "classless", "misogynistic" and "distasteful".
Later on Tuesday, Vivek apologised for sharing the meme and deleted the controversial tweet after being severely criticised on social media and receiving a notice from the National Commission for Women.
Actors like Sonam Kapoor, Anupam Kher and Esha Gupta openly criticized the actor for making fun of Aishwarya's relationships. The entire episode took us back to 2003 when Vivek's promising career saw an abrubt halt because of his infamous press conference. During his interaction to the media, Vivek made a lot of allegations against Salman which included a drunk Bhai harassing Vivek over the phone.
Strangely enough, Bollywood sided with Salman accusing Oberoi of washing dirty linen in public. "He is immature,'' chortled Salman's cronies and Vivek's father, senior actor, Suresh Oberoi, had to intervene. It was then that Ash decided to go public. She issued a press statement, blaming Salman for causing her mental anguish and torture. Everything between them was finished, Ash asserted.
However, Rai never went on record about her reported affair with Vivek and shortly after, there were reports that the two had broken up. Six years later in 2009, Vivek opened up about the entire controversy in a revealing interview to Farah Khan on her show Tere Mere Beech Mein.
Here are some excerpts from the interview:
1. Apparently, Vivek conducted the press conference to 'please' Aishwarya
)
As per Filmibeat, Vivek Oberoi admitted on Farah's show that he held the infamous press conference against Salman Khan to please Aishwarya. He also confessed that he had a feeling that what he is doing is wrong even while he was speaking that day, but he did it under the influence of certain people. He added that it hurt him when people whom he trusted didn't stand by him during his hour of crisis.
2. Vivek: Aishwarya called me 'Immature'
)
When Farah asked Vivek, "Lekin jinke liye aapne yeh sab kiya unhone kabhi bhi aapo thank you bola? Appreciate hua?", Vivek answered, "Nahi huya! Ulta yeh hua ki 'tum bahut immature ho'. Badme ye hogaya tha ki 'tumhe ye nahi karna chahiye tha'."
3. Vivek said he was provoked by certain people to hold the press conference
)
When Farah quizzed him on what triggered him to call a press conference to vent his anger against Salman, Vivek replied, "Uss waqt mere aaspas bahut log the aur woh apni 'RAI' dete the. Farah interrupted Vivek saying, "Accha word chunna aapne, 'RAI'. Vivek amended the word saying, "Mashwarra dete the and I went by their word. Moreover I was young that time and my father (Suresh Oberoi) too was not in town when I took that decision." Later he admitted that the same people who encouraged him to hold the press conference backed out.
4. Vivek: Aishwarya has a plastic smile and a plastic heart
)
On a final note, Vivek said, "There is less plastic in Tupperware factory than our film industry. People with plastic smile and plastic heart."
5. So, has Vivek been able to move on?
)
When Farah asked, "Kya aap poori tarah se unhe bhoola chuke hai?", Vivek laughed and said, "Unhe main bhula chukka hoon."
6. Aishwarya broke down on the sets of 'Guzaarish' after the episode aired
)
A friend of Aishwarya had then told Times of India, "Vivek said on a talk show that he held the infamous press conference against Salman Khan to please Aishwarya when they were a couple. It's not the first time that her ex-flame has spoken about her openly. Same is the case with her former lover Salman, who has spoken about her in not-so complimentary tones in recent press and television interviews. This sort of undignified name-calling has naturally upset the Bachchans.''
"We feel what Mr Khan and Mr Oberoi are doing is very ungentlemanly. It's unchivalrous to talk about any lady who has moved on to a new phase in her life. It is especially wrong when the lady is very happily married. Her life revolves around her two families now. What happened in the past is done and over with.' Why bring her name up unnecessarily and that too in contexts that have long lost their validity? Vivek said on a talk show on Sunday that he had held the infamous press conference against Salman to please Aishwarya. Let me tell you, Aishwarya wasn't even aware that he was going to hold the press conference.''
'When she got to know about it, she was horrified. Vivek is an adult and he should take responsibility for his actions. Why blame Aishwarya if his career didn't take off. Do these two men realise how much her career suffered? She lost so many films because of her past associations. Same is the case with Salman, who has been discussing Aishwarya and the dos and don'ts of physical abuse in his interviews. Apparently, when a friend asked Salman why he can't stop talking about her, he shrugged and said he can't help it because the press keeps asking him about her."
"Agreed that the questions are provocative but the person being asked isn't being forced to reply. He could easily choose not to discuss such ugly topics in public. At the moment, Aishwarya is working on two of her most difficult and challenging roles in Raavana and Guzaarish. The last thing she needs is rude distractions from the past. She was so upset she could hardly control her tears on the sets of Guzaarish. All she kept saying is, ‘I'm living my life the way I want. I wish others would do the same. Just let me be.' "
(All Pics via fanclubs/Twitter and Instagram)
