Vivek Oberoi On Spat With Salman Khan Over Aishwarya Rai: 'Powerful People In Bollywood Decided...'

Vivek Oberoi’s career took a downturn following his public feud with Bollywood superstar Salman Khan. He recalled how influential people in Bollywood vowed to ensure he wouldn't get any work.

Vivek Oberoi and Salman Khan got into a spat over Aishwarya Rai. (Image Source: Vivek Oberoi, Salman Khan/Instagram.)

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Vivek Oberoi’s career took a downturn following his public feud with Bollywood superstar Salman Khan. In a recent video shared by Brut India, capturing Vivek's interaction at the India Global Forum in London, the actor opened up about becoming a 'victim'. He recalled how influential people in Bollywood vowed to ensure he wouldn't get any work.

Vivek  Oberoi opens up on not getting work after Aishwarya Rai fiasco

Without naming anyone, Vivek said, "I achieved a lot of success and won many awards in my career, but it all vanished because a group of powerful people in Bollywood decided, 'You are not going to work here anymore, and we will make sure of it'. I experienced a lot of frustration, pain, and anger and felt like a victim; I didn't know how to deal with it."

He continued, "My mom is someone I really look up to. She's my hero. She told me, 'Put your attention into being a hero to someone else, and you will feel like a hero, you will feel like a winner'... The only way you can transition from being a victim to being a hero is by being a hero to someone. So, you start finding that someone you can be a hero to."

Vivek Oberoi and Salman Khan's rift

In 2003, during a press conference, Vivek accused Salman of threatening him due to his relationship with Aishwarya Rai, who had a messy breakup with Salman. Aishwarya reportedly dated Vivek for a few years before marrying Abhishek Bachchan in April 2007. They welcomed their daughter, Aaradhya, in 2011. Vivek is married to Priyanka Alva, and the couple has a son and a daughter.

Reflecting on lobbying in Bollywood in a 2023 interview with Hindustan Times, Vivek shared his experiences of lobbying and bullying 20 years after his infamous press conference. He said, “In hindsight, I went through a lot of unnecessary stuff. A lot of lobbies, a lot of repressive stories."

He added, "I know how frustrating it is; it can make one feel extremely exhausted and tired. After delivering an award-winning, commercially successful performance in 'Shootout at Lokhandwala', I was sitting at home for 14 months without getting any work. During that time, I kept thinking, I want to do something empowering, something that takes me beyond that.”