&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Vivek Oberoi breaks silence on 2003 controversy with Salman Khan, says Bollywood boycotted him")
Vivek Oberoi, once believed to be one of Bollywood’s brightest new stars, has opened up about the dark phase of his life following his fallout with Salman Khan in 2003. The Saathiya actor recalled how a press conference he held against the superstar not only altered the trajectory of his career but also left him battling depression.
The 2003 press conference
In 2003, Oberoi shocked the industry when he publicly accused Salman Khan of threatening him. At the time, he was reportedly dating Aishwarya Rai, and the press conference quickly became one of the most talked-about controversies in Bollywood. What was meant to be an act of courage ended up becoming a turning point in his career, pushing him into years of struggle and isolation.
Vivek Oberoi was 'boycotted and thrown out of films'
In a recent interview with YouTuber Prakhar Gupta, Oberoi revealed the extent of the backlash. He shared that filmmakers began dropping him from projects he had already signed, and almost no one in the industry wanted to work with him. “There came a time when I was boycotted left and right. I was thrown out of films and received constant threatening calls. Even my parents and sister were harassed with such calls,” he said.
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Emotional toll on family
For Oberoi, the most painful part of that phase was witnessing his family suffer. “I don’t care about what happened to me, but I cannot forget my mother’s tears and my father’s expressions during that time. That’s something I still find hard to let go of,” he said.
Personal struggles and depression
The controversy didn’t just derail his career; it also shook his personal life. The Company actor admitted that he slipped into depression. “My personal life was in a mess. I went into depression and cried in front of my mother, asking, ‘Why me?’ She reminded me that I never questioned why good things happened when I was winning awards and enjoying fame,” he recalled.
Moving forward with perspective
Despite the setbacks, Vivek continued working in films such as Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007), Prince (2010), and Krrish 3 (2013), but the early momentum of his career never returned. Over time, he shifted his focus toward entrepreneurship, building a real estate empire in Dubai worth over ₹1,200 crore.
Talking about the past two decades, Oberoi admitted that he now looks back at the episode with a sense of detachment. “I laugh at it today. I don’t carry the bitterness anymore. The hardest part was seeing my family suffer, but with time, I’ve learned to let go of those negative memories,” he mentioned.
On the work front
Vivek Oberoi is set to return to the big screen with Masti 4, alongside Riteish Deshmukh and Aftab Shivdasani. The comedy is planned to release in November 2025.
