Logo

Logo

Vivek Oberoi apologises over tweet on LS polls featuring Aishwarya Rai, deletes it

“Those in the meme don’t have a problem, but everyone else has,” he claimed

Vivek Oberoi apologises over tweet on LS polls featuring Aishwarya Rai, deletes it

( Photo: IMDb)

Vivek Oberoi faced social media ire for sharing a Lok Sabha election exit poll meme that had Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s relationship photographs stamped all over it.

On 20th May, the actor had shared a collage of three images featuring him, Aishwarya, her husband Abhishek Bachchan, Salman Khan and Aishwarya’s seven-year-old daughter Aaradhya.

Advertisement

Soon after he shared the meme, social media lashed out against the actor. Oberoi deleted his tweet earlier today and posted a couple of apologies.

Advertisement

“Even if one woman is offended by my reply to the meme, it calls for remedial action. Apologies tweet deleted,” the actor tweeted this morning.

“Sometimes what appears to be funny and harmless at first glance to one, may not be so to others. I have spent the last 10 years empowering more than 2000 underprivileged girls, I can’t even think of being disrespectful to any woman ever,” he wrote in another post.


The actor also faced the wrath of celebrities like Sonam Kapoor and Badminton player Jwala Gutta over his election meme that compares Aishwarya’s life with the 2019 LS polls’ predicted result.

Oberoi dated the former Miss World and actor in early 2000s.

While Sonam Kapoor responded by saying, “Disgusting and classless,” Jwala called his actions “disappointing.”

Oberoi hit back at Kapoor, stating that he respected her father and that she had done nothing to empower women over the last ten years, while he, on the other hand, had helped girls escape child prostitution, and much more.


The actor was served notices from the National Commission for Women and the Maharashtra State Commission for Women.

Swati Maliwal, Chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women also responded to the actor’s action on social media. She shared a tweet which said, “It is hardly hilarious. It’s crass, disgusting and reveals the sick mentality of its ‘creator’@vivekoberoi. Evident that the man lacks everything – political as well as life skills.”


In the commission’s notice, a copy of which that is dated 20th May, that was shared on their Twitter handle, they demanded a “satisfactory explanation to the commission on the matter on receipt of this notice”.


Vijaya Rahatkar, chairperson Maharashtra Women’s Commission featured in a video shared by the Maharashtra State Commission’s official handle in which she said, “What he has tweeted cannot be considered as ‘creativity’… He is a responsible actor and we did not expect this behaviour from him. We have taken note of this and we will be sending him a notice to him.”


Last evening, however, the actor had said he had nothing to apologize for. “I have no problem in apologising, but tell me what wrong have I done? If I have done something wrong I will apologise, I don’t think I have done anything wrong, he told ANI, further adding that everyone was making a ” huge issue out of it” when he had just “laughed at the meme”.

“Those in the meme don’t have a problem, but everyone else has,” he claimed, linking the controversy to his yet-to-be-released biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reported NDTV.

On the work front, the actor will be seen playing the titular character of PM in Omung Kumar’s directorial, PM Narendra Modi which is slated to release on 24th May 2019.

Advertisement