Vivek Oberoi and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in a throwback picture. (courtesy: rediff.com)
After the success of Animal, veteran actor Suresh Oberoi finds himself in the limelight once again. The actor, who portrayed Ranbir Kapoor's grandfather in the film, recently discussed his son Vivek Oberoi's rumoured past relationship with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. In an interview with Lehren Retro, Suresh Oberoi revealed that Vivek never personally informed him about the relationship; instead, he learned about it from director Ram Gopal Varma and “someone else.” After that, Suresh Oberoi said that he only advised his son not to engage romantically with a co-worker. When asked if he cautioned Vivek to be careful about his personal life, Suresh Oberoi responded, “I really liked the girl (Aishwarya) when she would come home. Abhi aapke bete ki friend aayegi to aap kya karoge, pyaar kroge na. Mujhe ye ho raha hai, vo raha hai, ye sab nahi malum tha. [Now, if your son's friend comes over, what will you do? You will love her. I didn't know much about what was happening, who was doing what.]”
FYI: Aishwarya was famously in a committed relationship with Salman Khan. Following their much-publicised split, speculations arose about Aishwarya being romantically linked with Vivek Oberoi. The culmination of this saga was the infamous press conference held by Vivek Oberoi, where he accused Salman Khan of making threatening phone calls. While Aishwarya never publicly acknowledged her relationship with Vivek, the two reportedly went their separate ways in 2003. Moving forward, Aishwarya married Abhishek Bachchan in 2007.
When asked about his relationship with actor Amitabh Bachchan — Aishwarya's father-in-law, Suresh Oberoi candidly mentioned, "I was never a friend of his." However, he added that despite the complex web of relationships, the Oberois, Khans, and Bachchans continue to maintain good connections.
Suresh Oberoi shared, “Mere saath sab, aaj bhi Bachchan sahab milte hai, acha milte hai. Salman Khan milta hai, piche cigarette chupa ke, respect se baat (karta hai). [When Mr. Bachchan meets me, and we get along well. Salman Khan, when he meets, hides a cigarette behind and talks with respect.]”
Adding a touch of wisdom, he continued, “Jab bhi Salim sahab milte hai, maine bola Vivek, ‘You have to touch his feet, badey hai'. Salim bhai ki mai izzat karta hu. Abhi kuch na kuch hota hai to hota hai, but relation thodi bigad jate hai. [I ask Vivek to touch Saleem's feet whenever he meets him. I respect Salim sir. Things happen now and then, but relationships don't get spoiled.]”
Concluding on a positive note, he affirmed, “It's not that I don't speak with Bachchan sahab, Salman, or his father, aur agar milegi kahi Aishwarya to kyu nahi [and even If Aishwarya meets me someday, I don't mind talking to her.]”
Vivek Oberoi, meanwhile, has made multiple attempts to extend his apologies to Salman Khan. However, the Tiger 3 star has never acknowledged the efforts.