Vivek Oberoi gets police protection after Aishwarya-Salman meme controversy

Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi has been provided protection, a police official said on Wednesday evening. There were intelligence inputs about threat to the Bollywood actor, the official said. Oberoi was provided with two personal security officers Wednesday, he said. A police vehicle has also been parked outside his residence here, the official added.

Oberoi courted controversy recently when he tweeted a meme related to actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s personal life. He deleted the tweet and apologised after receiving flak on social media. Oberoi, who reportedly dated the 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, a take on the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the results of which will be declared on Thursday, was called “crass” and “distasteful”.

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

Asked about the controversy over the tweet, Oberoi told reporters he doesn’t understand “why people are making a big deal about this.”

“Someone sent me a creative meme where I was being made fun of. I just wrote, ‘Ha ha,’ and appreciated the other person. When someone makes fun of you, you should laugh and not take it so seriously.

“I even wrote there that there’s nothing political about it. It’s life and such things happen in life that you are with someone and then you move on in life.”

The actor said Aishwarya is “happy in her life and I am happy in mine”.

“It’s just a small meme. To take it so seriously and then give such a big reaction... The people, who are in the meme, haven’t objected to it. But everyone has politicised it.”

Aishwarya is currently in Cannes for the prestigious film festival.

Oberoi said there are people who just politicise “such non-issues” and drew a parallel with West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.

“Sometimes didi demand people to be put in jail for meme, and now some people want Vivek Oberoi to be behind bars. They couldn’t stop my film but now want to stop me. This is kiddish, “he said.

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

Actor Sonam Kapoor called the meme “disgusting and classless”’ in a tweet while Urmila Matondkar, who is the Congress candidate from Mumbai North, called out the actor for not having the courtesy of pulling down the tweet despite widespread criticism.

Oberoi stars in the role of Narendra Modi in a soon-to-be-released biopic on the prime minister.