The National Commission for Women (NCW) issued a notice to actor Vivek Oberoi on Monday on a meme he posted comparing the exit poll results to his ‘relationship’ with actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
The post by the actor on Twitter read: ‘Creative! No politics here... just life’. It showed Ms. Bachchan with actor Salman Khan, titled ‘Opinion Poll’, with Mr. Oberoi himself, titled ‘Exit Poll’ and with her husband Abhishek Bachchan, titled ‘Result’.
Following the tweet, the NCW sought an explanation from Mr. Oberoi. In a letter to the actor, the NCW referred to media reports that the actor had “drawn a sly comparison between the poll result and a woman’s personal life.” The letter pointed out that the post, carrying “the picture of a minor girl and a woman” is “extremely offensive, unethical, and shows disrespect towards the dignity and respect of women in general.”
NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma also said the tweet was “absolutely disgusting, distasteful and degraded a woman”.
Mr. Oberoi faced a backlash on social media as well, with people calling the post insensitive and disrespectful. Sportsperson Jwala Gutta and actor Sonam Kapoor too condemned the actor for his post.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra State Commission for Women uploaded a video on Twitter where Commission Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar said the actor’s tweet cannot be considered creative. “The tweet shows utter disrespect towards women and the commission has taken note of it. Such a demeaning tweet is not expected from a responsible actor like Mr. Oberoi and the Commission will issue a notice for the same,” she said.
Ms. Rahatkar said no one had filed a complaint and it was the Commission’s suo motu decision to intervene in the matter. The meme was originally posted by one Pavan Singh from Ranchi. However, no action has been taken against him.
The Hindu reached out to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s publicists but received no response. The actor is in Cannes.
