Vivek Oberoi has lauded Priyanka Chopra for opening up on the dark side of Bollywood. Talking about it and recalled the time when he was going through a 'trial by fire' which left him 'extremely exhausted'. In the year 2003, Vivek, who was rumoured to be in a relationship with Aishwarya Rai, had claimed that Salman Khan was threatening him over phone calls. During his recent interaction with a daily, Vivek said, 'I’m glad that I emerged from that. I kind of came up through the trial by fire and survived it. But not everybody’s going to be that lucky.' Recalling the bad phase, the actor revealed, 'A lot of lobbies, a lot of repressive stories - kind of what Priyanka has been alluding to also. That’s been a hallmark of our industry, unfortunately. It’s been one of the dark sides of our industry. And I’ve been on the receiving end of it... Back in the day when I voiced against it, every 'well wisher' would call me up and say, 'Don’t talk about it. It is like a family secret.' In the same interview Vivek talked about Sushant Singh Rajput's death and said, 'Sushant should have never lost his life no matter what. It’s just so sad. What a talented young guy and he should have had a better network of friends.'
Vivek even revealed that he sat for 14 months at home even after delivering a critically acclaimed performance in the 2007 hit film Shootout at Lokhandwala. "I know how frustrating it is, it can make one feel extremely, exhausted and tired. You feel like, I’ve just delivered an award-winning, commercially successful performance in Shoot out Lokhandwala and after that, I’m sitting at home for 14 months, not getting any work", the actor stated.Calling Bollywood 'an insecure place', the actor stated, "The industry is a very insecure place. Artists by nature live in a very fragile state because they’re more vulnerable. Whether it was the MeToo movement, the casting couch, or just bullying, lobbying - all of these things take the joy out of creativity. I’m glad these things are being spoken about and slowly will go away."
"It’s a systemic issue in the industry which is getting better. People are being more vocal. There is more decentralization of power. Less and less people can play God and the fans are now aware. Sushant (Singh Rajput) should have never lost his life no matter what. It’s just so sad. What a talented young guy and he should have had a better network of friends. You call the industry, a family, then the family should be there for each other", Vivek concluded. For the unversed, on April 1 in the year 2003, Vivek had called a press conference where he claimed that Salman Khan threatened him over phone calls, because he was allegedly in a relationship with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Salman’s former girlfriend.