'Scary, Lonely Life': Vivek Oberoi On Life After Breakup With Aishwarya Rai

It’s been over two decades since Vivek Oberoi’s explosive press conference against Salman Khan shook Bollywood in 2003. While the controversy cast a long shadow over his career, Vivek now looks back at that chapter with a sense of calm and even amusement, admitting that heartbreak and mistakes once shaped him but no longer define him.

On dealing with heartbreak

In a chat with Prakhar Gupta, Vivek shared how he once shut himself off emotionally. “I have been a very sensitive and emotional person in life. I don’t want to live in the fear of heartbreak because I have lived that already. I have experienced it, it’s a very scary, lonely and insular life,” he said.

The actor revealed that he had become “very lonely just to protect myself” but later realised

that was against his true nature. “You have to be open again, to love again, and feel again,” he added.

Looking back at the Salman Khan controversy

Addressing the 2003 fallout with Salman, Vivek said perspective has changed with time. “Ajeeb baat yeh hai ki sar par jab aafat aati hai, sar pe pange hote hai, tab woh bade lagte hai… Similarly, I feel when God sees your problems, he must be thinking, ‘bacche this is a small thing, I’ll make you stronger’.”

He admitted that the feud, which once felt overwhelming, now seems immature. “Woh perspective baadmein dikhta hai… Now I find it immature. Having or giving a reaction feels funny now,” Vivek reflected.

‘I have forgotten about it’

The actor said he no longer carries bitterness from that phase. “Ek woh jo darr tha, ya kadvahat thi, bitterness thi, scars the, it becomes a difficult window at that time. Whatever I went through, I have forgotten about it.”

Vivek Oberoi fight with Salman Khan

Vivek Oberoi’s feud with Salman Khan was closely linked to his reported relationship with Aishwarya Rai in the early 2000s. After Aishwarya’s highly publicised breakup with Salman, she was rumoured to be dating Vivek, and it was during this period that Vivek held his infamous press conference in 2003 accusing Salman of threatening him. The controversy not only strained Vivek’s standing in the industry but also brought unwanted attention to his personal life with Aishwarya. Though the relationship was short-lived, its impact on Vivek’s career trajectory and public image has often been revisited in discussions about his early years in Bollywood.