As 2003 dawned, both Abhishek and Aishwarya were hitting all-time troughs in their lives.
The former was struggling to cope with the disappointment of a broken engagement, coupled with repeated professional failures. Aishwarya, likewise, was battling the fallout of her break-up with Salman Khan -- and also trying to overcome the reluctance of filmmakers who, at the height of her involvement with Salman, had become increasingly wary about casting her in prestigious projects.
In Vivek Oberoi, Ash found solace; the two began dating and Oberoi -- who, Abhishek once suggested during a joint appearance on Koffee with Karan, could learn to talk a little less -- stunned the industry with a hastily summoned press conference in April 2003, where he alleged that Salman Khan had in the course of one night deluged him with 41 calls, all of them abusive and threatening.
Oberoi suggested that Khan was mentally disturbed and needed treatment; he challenged his girlfriend's ex to fisticuffs -- it was large-scale tamasha, of the kind Bollywood loves to showcase in its films.
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