Don't think I have done anything wrong, Vivek Oberoi's defence on meme controversy

Hours after getting a notice from National Commission for Women (NCW) for a meme on actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, actor Vivek Oberoi has said that he has not done anything wrong. 

"People are saying apologise, 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. What's wrong in it? Somebody tweeted a meme and I laughed at it," the actor, who is currently promoting his upcoming film "PM Narendra Modi",  was quoted as saying by ANI.

The actor also tried to downplay the controversy by saying he just appreciated the person for his creativity. "I don't know why people are making a huge issue out of it. Someone had sent me a meme which made fun of me. I laughed on it and I appreciated the person for his creativity. If someone mocks at you, you should not take it seriously," he said. 

Oberoi said he would meet National Commission for Women, State Commission for Women and explain everything. 

Earlier on Monday, Oberoi faced the wrath of social media users including actor-turned-politician Urmila Matondkar, NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma and Bollywood actor Sonam Kapoor over sharing a "distasteful" and "crass" meme targeting Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's relationships.    

Oberoi, who reportedly dated the actor-former Miss World in early 2000s, posted a meme with three panels, one with him, another with Salman Khan and a third with her husband Abhishek and daughter Aaradhya on Twitter.    

The meme was a take on the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the results of which will be declared on Thursday.     

"Haha! creative! No politics here... just life," Oberoi captioned the photo and credited the Twitter account that shared it.     

Social media was quick to blast the actor, who is currently promoting his upcoming film "PM Narendra Modi", over his "distasteful" tweet.     

"Disgusting and classless," Sonam tweeted.        

Matondkar, who is a Congress candidate from Mumbai North, called out the actor for not having the courtesy of pulling down the tweet despite widespread criticism.    

The NCW (National Commission for Women) sent a notice to the actor asking him to give an explanation for sharing the "insulting" and "misogynist" tweet.    

"This tweet is absolutely disgusting, distasteful, and degrading a women. @NCWIndia will be serving notice to @vivekoberoi," NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma tweeted.    

In their notice, the NCW said the actor should not have carried a minor girl and a woman's picture for a sly reference.