Salman–Aishwarya–Vivek: Inside Bollywood’s Most Explosive Love Triangle as Old Wounds Resurface

Producer Shailendra Singh revisits the infamous 2003 press conference, Salman Khan’s fury, and how one night changed careers forever.

More than twenty years after Bollywood witnessed one of its most controversial personal sagas, fresh revelations have once again brought the Salman Khan–Aishwarya Rai–Vivek Oberoi love triangle into the spotlight. What was once whispered in industry corridors and splashed across headlines in the early 2000s is now being openly discussed by those who saw it unfold up close.

Veteran producer Shailendra Singh, who has been a longtime associate and friend of Salman Khan, recently shared rare insights into the aftermath of Vivek Oberoi’s shocking 2003 press conference, where the then-rising actor accused Salman of threatening him over his association with Aishwarya Rai. According to Singh, Salman happened to be at home when the press conference aired on television — and his reaction was far from calm.

Singh recalled that Salman was visibly furious while watching Vivek speak to the media. He described the actor as someone who, at that stage of his life, wore his emotions on his sleeve. However, instead of encouraging retaliation, Singh advised Salman to stay silent and let time handle the situation. His message was simple: don’t react impulsively, fight the battle quietly if it must be fought at all.

The producer went on to make a striking claim — that Salman chose exactly that path. Singh suggested that rather than responding publicly, Salman allegedly used his industry clout in subtler ways, which may have contributed to Vivek Oberoi gradually disappearing from mainstream Bollywood projects. While Singh admitted he couldn’t prove this definitively, he said the pattern over the years made it “look that way.”

The controversy itself stemmed from a turbulent period in Aishwarya Rai’s personal life. After her highly publicised relationship with Salman Khan — which began around the time of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam — the actress parted ways with him in the early 2000s. Soon after, Vivek Oberoi publicly came forward, claiming Salman had tried to intimidate him due to his closeness with Aishwarya. The move backfired spectacularly, drawing criticism from within the film industry and putting Vivek in an uncomfortable spotlight.

Aishwarya and Vivek eventually parted ways in 2005, just a couple of years after the controversy, and neither has spoken much about the episode since. Over time, the industry moved on, but the incident remained one of Bollywood’s most cautionary tales about power, public confrontation, and personal boundaries.

Today, all three have taken very different paths in life. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is married to Abhishek Bachchan and is the mother of their daughter Aaradhya. Vivek Oberoi is married to Priyanka Alva and has two children, focusing largely on selective acting projects and entrepreneurial ventures. Salman Khan, meanwhile, continues to be one of Hindi cinema’s biggest superstars, commanding massive box-office numbers and maintaining a strong presence in the industry.

Yet, even after two decades, this chapter of Bollywood history refuses to fade away — a reminder of how personal relationships, when played out in public, can leave a lasting imprint far beyond the moment itself.