Did Salman Khan issue a FATWA against Vivek Oberoi following Vivek’s 2003 press conference?

Vivek Oberoi made a grand entry into Bollywood with Ram Gopal Varma's 2002 super-hit Company. And next year, in 2003 he called a press conference on April 1 where he made some startling claims.

He told reporters that a heavily drunk Salman Khan had called him at least 41 times on the previous night and threatened to kill him. Vivek claimed that Salman used the most abusive words and language.

Vivek apologised to Salman repeatedly and even admitted on Farah Khan's show that he shouldn't have held a press conference. He said that his career went down and he became an outcast in the industry overnight. 

Vivek had several hits like Company, Saathiya, and Masti, but after the press conference, people feared to approach him for roles. Talking about it, he stated to a leading tabloid, "It was like a fatwa was issued against me from the powers that be," said industry insiders.

However, a source close to Vivek says, "To what extent Salman blacklisted him from the industry is a matter of conjecture. It’s easy to assume that he used his clout to ask people to exclude Vivek from projects. But then, Salman didn’t get along with Ranbir Kapoor and John Abraham either and they’ve both got work through the years."

The source added, "Vivek only chose the worst films. He let go of Hum Tum, Bunty Aur Babli, and Om Shanti Om. If your films are successful, people work with you, regardless. Vivek had 9 to 10 flops in a row.”