Why people are politicising it: Oberoi on 'crass' meme

Agencies
May 21, 2019

New Delhi, May 21: Reacting to the heavy criticism on social media after he shared a meme on actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's personal life, Vivek Oberoi said Monday there was much ado about a "non-issue" and people were "politicising" the post unnecessarily.

Oberoi, who reportedly dated the former Miss World in the early 2000s, posted a meme with three panels, one with him, another with Salman Khan and a third with her husband Abhishek and daughter Aaradhya on Twitter.

The meme, a take on the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the results of which will be declared on Thursday, was called "crass" and "distasteful".

"Haha! creative! No politics here... just life," Oberoi captioned the photo and credited the Twitter account that shared it.

Asked about the controversy over the tweet, 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.

"I even wrote there that there's nothing political about it. It's life and such things happen in life that you are with someone and then you move on in life."

The actor said Aishwarya is "happy in her life and I am happy in mine".

"It's just a small meme. To take it so seriously and then give such a big reaction... The people, who are in the meme, haven't objected to it. But everyone has politicised it."

Aishwarya is currently in Cannes for the prestigious film festival.

Oberoi said there are people who just politicise "such non-issues" and drew a parallel with West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.

"Sometimes didi demand people to be put in jail for meme, and now some people want Vivek Oberoi to be behind bars. They couldn't stop my film but now want to stop me. This is kiddish, " he said.

Social media was quick to blast the actor, who is currently promoting his upcoming film "PM Narendra Modi", over his "distasteful" tweet.

Actor Sonam Kapoor called the meme "disgusting and classless"' in a tweet while Urmila Matondkar, who is the Congress candidate from Mumbai North, called out the actor for not having the courtesy of pulling down the tweet despite widespread criticism.

Reacting to Sonam's tweet, Oberoi said, "Sometimes people write such things on Twitter to appear cool."

"I would like to ask Sonam what work has she done for women empowerment? I have been working on women empowerment since Sonam was working on her makeover.

"I would just tell Sonam, 'You are a good girl. I have a lot of respect and love for your father. But what you have written, to that I would like to give you a small advice. God bless you and wish you all the best in your career but please overact less on screen and overreact less on social media.'"

The National Commission for Women sent a notice to the actor, asking him to give an explanation for sharing the "insulting" and "misogynist" tweet.

In the notice, the NCW said the actor should not have carried a minor girl and a woman's picture for a sly reference. A similar reaction came from Delhi and Maharashtra chapters of women commissions.

Oberoi said it's a good thing that a notice has been sent to him as he would want to meet the women commission and put his point.

"I'll also like to explain myself because I don't think I have done anything wrong," he said.

Oberoi said he doesn't have any issue in saying "sorry" and quipped he is an "expert in apologising."

"You must have seen my videos, memes where I am holding my ears to apologise. All I am saying is that please tell me what wrong have I done. If I have done anything wrong, I will apologise," he said.

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News Network
December 6,2025

indigoticket.jpg

With IndiGo flight disruptions impacting thousands of passengers, the airline on Saturday said that it will offer full waiver on all cancellations/reschedule requests for travel bookings between December 5, 2025 and December 15, 2025.

Earlier in the day, the civil aviation ministry had directed the airline to complete the ticket refund process for the cancelled flights by Sunday evening, as well as ensure baggage separated from the travellers are delivered in the next two days.

In a post on X, titled 'No questions asked', IndiGo wrote, "In response to recent events, all refunds for your cancellations will be processed automatically to your original mode of payment."

"We are deeply sorry for the hardships caused," it further added.

Several passengers, however, complained of not getting full refund as promised by the airline.

Netizens have shared screenchots of getting charged for airline cancellation fee and convenience fee.

"Please tell me why u have did this airline cancellation charges when u say full amount will be refunded (sic)," a user wrote sharing a screenshot of the refund page.

"Well, but you have still debited the convenience charges," wrote another.

Passengers have also raised concerns about the "cancel" option being disabled on the IndiGo app. "First enable the 'Cancel' button on your App & offer full refund on tickets cancelled by customers between the said dates," wrote a user.

A day after the country's largest airline, IndiGo, cancelled more than 1,000 flights and caused disruptions for the fifth day on Saturday, the ministry said that any delay or non-compliance in refund processing will invite immediate regulatory action.

The refund process for all cancelled or disrupted flights must be completed by 8 pm on Sunday, the ministry said in a statement.

"Airlines have also been instructed not to levy any rescheduling charges for passengers whose travel plans were affected by cancellations," it said.

On Saturday, more than 400 flights were cancelled at various airports.

IndiGo has also been instructed to set up dedicated passenger support and refund facilitation cells.

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  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
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News Network
December 6,2025

indigoticket.jpg

With IndiGo flight disruptions impacting thousands of passengers, the airline on Saturday said that it will offer full waiver on all cancellations/reschedule requests for travel bookings between December 5, 2025 and December 15, 2025.

Earlier in the day, the civil aviation ministry had directed the airline to complete the ticket refund process for the cancelled flights by Sunday evening, as well as ensure baggage separated from the travellers are delivered in the next two days.

In a post on X, titled 'No questions asked', IndiGo wrote, "In response to recent events, all refunds for your cancellations will be processed automatically to your original mode of payment."

"We are deeply sorry for the hardships caused," it further added.

Several passengers, however, complained of not getting full refund as promised by the airline.

Netizens have shared screenchots of getting charged for airline cancellation fee and convenience fee.

"Please tell me why u have did this airline cancellation charges when u say full amount will be refunded (sic)," a user wrote sharing a screenshot of the refund page.

"Well, but you have still debited the convenience charges," wrote another.

Passengers have also raised concerns about the "cancel" option being disabled on the IndiGo app. "First enable the 'Cancel' button on your App & offer full refund on tickets cancelled by customers between the said dates," wrote a user.

A day after the country's largest airline, IndiGo, cancelled more than 1,000 flights and caused disruptions for the fifth day on Saturday, the ministry said that any delay or non-compliance in refund processing will invite immediate regulatory action.

The refund process for all cancelled or disrupted flights must be completed by 8 pm on Sunday, the ministry said in a statement.

"Airlines have also been instructed not to levy any rescheduling charges for passengers whose travel plans were affected by cancellations," it said.

On Saturday, more than 400 flights were cancelled at various airports.

IndiGo has also been instructed to set up dedicated passenger support and refund facilitation cells.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Air India Express has announced that it will resume direct flight services between Mangaluru and Muscat from March 2026, restoring an important international air link for passengers from the coastal region.

Airport authorities said the service will operate twice a week—on Sundays and Tuesdays—from March 1. The initial flights are scheduled on March 3, 8 and 10, followed by March 15 and 17, with the same operating pattern to continue thereafter. The flight duration is approximately three hours and 25 minutes.

The Mangaluru–Muscat route was earlier operated under the 2025 summer schedule, with services beginning on July 14. At that time, Air India Express had operated four flights a week before suspending the service.

Officials said the summer schedule will come into effect from March 29, after which changes in flight timings and departure schedules from Mangaluru are expected. Passengers have been advised to check the latest schedules while planning their travel.

The resumption of direct flights to Muscat is expected to significantly benefit expatriates, business travellers and others, further strengthening Mangaluru’s air connectivity with the Gulf region.

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