Vivek Oberoi Speaks Up On Age-Old Feud With Salman Khan, Says Success ‘Suddenly Evaporated’

Vivek Oberoi recently spoke at the India Global Forum in London, where he addressed his career struggles following a public feud with Bollywood superstar Salman Khan. A video of his interaction, shared by Brut India, highlighted the actor’s reflections on becoming a “victim” in the industry.

Oberoi recounted how powerful figures in Bollywood attempted to sabotage his career. “I got a lot of success, I was winning a lot of awards in my career, and suddenly it evaporated because a bunch of people, who had a lot of power in Bollywood, decided ‘You are not going to work here anymore, we will make sure that happens’. I experienced a lot of frustration and pain and anger and felt like a victim; and I didn’t know how to deal with it,” Oberoi said, without naming any individuals.

The actor found solace and inspiration in his mother, whom he described as his hero. She advised him to channel his energy into helping others. “My mom is somebody I really look up to. She’s my hero. And she said ‘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 that you can be a hero to,” Oberoi shared.

Oberoi’s conflict with Salman Khan dates back to a 2003 press conference where he accused Khan of threatening him over his relationship with Aishwarya Rai, who had a tumultuous breakup with Khan. Aishwarya later married Abhishek Bachchan in 2007, and they have a daughter named Aaradhya. Oberoi is married to Priyanka Alva, with whom he has a son and a daughter.

In a 2023 interview with Hindustan Times, Oberoi elaborated on the bullying and lobbying he faced in Bollywood. Reflecting on the period following his acclaimed performance in “Shootout at Lokhandwala,” he said, “I went through a lot of stuff that was unnecessary. A lot of lobbies, a lot of repressive stories. It can make one feel extremely exhausted and tired. You feel like, I’ve just delivered an award-winning, commercially successful performance, and after that, I’m sitting at home for 14 months, not getting any work.”

Despite these challenges, Oberoi expressed a desire to move beyond his past struggles and focus on empowering others.