Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi, on Tuesday, apologised for tweeting a distasteful meme featuring Aishwarya Rai, and deleted the tweet. Vivek had found himself in a soup after he shared a meme on Monday, kicking off a wave of criticism on social media.
“Sometimes what appears to be funny and harmless at first glance to one, may not be so to others. I have spent the last 10 years empowering more than 2000 underprivileged girls, I cant even think of being disrespectful to any woman ever,” he tweeted.
Vivek, who reportedly dated the former Miss World in early 2000s, posted a meme which was a collage of three images—one with him, another with Salman Khan and a third with her husband Abhishek and daughter Aaradhya.
Asked about the controversy over the tweet, a defensive Oberoi told reporters he doesn't understand "why people are making a big deal about this." "Someone sent me a creative meme where I was being made fun of. I just wrote, 'Ha ha,' and appreciated the other person. When someone makes fun of you, you should laugh and not take it so seriously.”
Social media was quick to blast the actor, who is currently promoting his upcoming film PM Narendra Modi. Actress Sonam Kapoor called the meme "disgusting and classless" while Urmila Matondkar called out the actor for not having the courtesy of pulling down the tweet despite widespread criticism.
The National Commission for Women sent a notice to the actor, asking him to give an explanation for sharing the "insulting" and "misogynist" tweet.
-with inputs from PTI