Covering Bollywood and the Hindi Cinema

No one can doubt the talent of actor Vivek Oberoi however its his real life antics which have always been the talk of the town and has alienated him from the industry (rem the whole Salman fiasco?). Once again the most “misunderstood” boy in the industry was at the eye of storm when during 10th Rajiv Gandhi Awards function, he apologized to Salman!

While performing, Vivek suddenly stopped before Salman (seated on the front row) and put his hands together and bowed before him. Many saw this as a peace offering gesture.

Says Vijay Kalantri, chairman of the reception committee of the awards, seated next to Salman, "Vivek grabbed his (own) ears and bowed and mouthed 'bhai'. But Salman just shook his head."

When MiD-DAY called Salman and narrated the incident, the actor refused to acknowledge Vivek's identity. "Who are you talking about?" When we said Vivek, he said, "Vivek who?" Naturally, we said, Vivek Oberoi. And he shot back, "Vivek Oberoi, who?"

Irritated, he added, "Please don't call me for such things. I thought you had called me for the Salman Khan Foundation."

The actor then abruptly hung up.

A friend close to Vivek confirmed the incident had occurred. "It was a spur of the moment thing. Vivek suddenly decided to bow in front of Salman and smile at him. But Salman smiled back."

When asked whether the gesture was indicative of an apology, the friend added, "Vivek is all-heart. He is also impulsive and spontaneous. The gesture was not premeditated. It was a cute, let's-forget-the-past gesture. Vivek has always been gracious about the whole incident."

Adds Kalantri, "Shilpa Shetty, who was seated next to Salman, requested him to acknowledge the apology and forgive him, but Salman shook his head and ignored Vivek." Both Salman and Shilpa were awarded for excellence in cinema and entertainment.

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