Mumbai, May 20: Actor Vivek Oberoi on Monday faced the wrath of social media users including Bollywood actor Sonam Kapoor and DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal for 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 featuring her with husband Abhishek, daughter Aaradhya and Salman Khan.
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.
Soon after he shared the meme, social media lashed out against the actor, who is currently promoting his upcoming film "PM Narendra Modi", a biopic on the current prime minister.
"Disgusting and classless," Sonam tweeted.
"It is hardly hilarious. It's crass, disgusting and reveals the sick mentality of its 'creator'@vivekoberoi. Evident that the man lacks everything - political as well as life skills," Swati Maliwal, Chairperson, Delhi Commission for Women, said.
Vijaya Rahatkar, chairperson Maharashtra Women's Commission, they will send a notice to the actor for his tweet, which is "disrespectful towards women".
"What he has tweeted cannot be considered as 'creativity'... He is a responsible actor and we did not expect this behaviour from him. We have taken a note of this and we will be sending him a notice to him," Rahatkar tweeted.
Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit also slammed the actor.
"Dear Vivek Oberoi, this is absolutely distasteful on so many levels. How can you call this cheap remark 'creative' in any way? Didn't expect this from an otherwise cultured person like you," Pandit tweeted.
Such was the reaction to the actor's tweet that his name had started trending with many on social media lashing out against Oberoi.
"I thought it's a troll account. Shame on vivek," the tweet read.
Another post said the actor should have at least thought twice about dragging a minor, Aishwarya's daughter, into the controversy.
"?Please don't spread this pics its demeaning to a woman and a torture to her child too! Please its a humble request! #VivekOberoi #NarendraModi," he said.
"I'm pretty sure #AishwariaRai chose a man with character. This is really cheap. There's a fine line between Humour and Insult to individual. Increase your Celeb status to 1 per cent of what she's Achieved at least. Disgusting @vivekoberoi #VivekOberoi," another user tweeted.
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Bengaluru: Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka launched a scathing attack on MLC Dr. Yathindra, demanding that he retract his controversial statement comparing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to the late Maharaja Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. Ashoka urged Yathindra to apologize to the people of Karnataka if he had even a shred of conscience and any respect for the Mysuru royal lineage.
In a strongly worded social media post on Sunday, Ashoka stated, “Comparing Siddaramaiah to Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar is nothing short of absurd. Where is Nalwadi, who was bestowed the title of ‘Rajarshi’ by Mahatma Gandhi himself, and where is Siddaramaiah, who has stooped to being a puppet in the hands of fake Gandhis for the sake of power?”
He continued his critique by contrasting the enduring legacy of Nalwadi, remembered fondly by Kannadigas for his people-centric development, with what he termed as Siddaramaiah’s failure to manage Karnataka’s economy, burdening every household with debt.
Ashoka highlighted several stark differences, while Nalwadi built Mysore University over a century ago, Siddaramaiah is shutting down nine universities due to lack of funds. Nalwadi famously sold his family’s gold to build the KRS dam, whereas Siddaramaiah is accused of grabbing 14 sites meant for the public. Nalwadi established Bhadravati Iron & Steel Plant, Sandalwood Soap Factory, and Mysore Paper Mills. In contrast, Ashoka claimed Siddaramaiah's governance drove away industries, investors, and entrepreneurs. Nalwadi pioneered reservations for the backward classes long before it became mainstream. Siddaramaiah, Ashoka alleged, is reducing social justice to a gimmick by sticking labels on doors in the name of surveys.
While acknowledging Yathindra’s emotional attachment to his father, Ashoka emphasized that comparing Siddaramaiah to a visionary like Nalwadi was “laughable, baseless, and a gross insult” to the late king.
In his concluding remarks, Ashoka slammed the government for ignoring farmers’ needs despite an early monsoon. He accused the administration of being caught up in internal power struggles and negligence, forcing farmers into despair. “This government will not be spared from the curse of the farmers,” he warned.