Salman Khan on the people behind the abuse: 'I know who trolls me'

Dubai: The list of people publicly backing Salman Khan over his Bigg Boss 20 comments on trolling keeps growing.

Vivek Oberoi has added his voice to the industry response, joining Rohit Shetty, Kunal Kohli, Varun Dhawan and Neha Dhupia in supporting Salman Khan's stand against online abuse.

What Vivek Oberoi said

Oberoi was speaking on Tuesday at an event run by the Cancer Patients Aid Association, where he spent time with children being treated for cancer.

Asked by Bollywood Chronicle about Salman's comments, he kept his answer short.

"Kuch nahi yaar, mujhe lagta hai trolling wagera karna bhi nahi chahiye. Trolling is a very negative thing, and there are a lot of positive things to do in life kya negative mein padhe ho," he said.

Translated from the Hindi, that reads: "Nothing, yaar. I feel people shouldn't troll others either. Trolling is a very negative thing, and there are so many positive things to do in life. Why get caught up in negativity?"

The comment carries some weight given the two men's past. In 2003, Oberoi held a press conference accusing Salman of harassing Aishwarya Rai with repeated phone calls, a move widely reported at the time as having damaged his own career.

'Dear trollers, it's done bro'

The loudest endorsement came from Rohit Shetty.

The filmmaker posted a clip on Instagram on Sunday showing Salman removing his shirt on stage in response to people calling him "budha", or old, and mocking his shaved head.

"Only unconditional prem for him. Dear trollers, it's done bro," Shetty wrote alongside it.

Director Kunal Kohli also weighed in on X, praising Salman for raising the issue of social media etiquette and of the people who encourage that behaviour.

What Salman actually said

The comments came during the most recent Weekend Ka Vaar episode.

Salman spoke about being trolled over his age and appearance, said his shaved head was a look for a film, and linked how he had been looking to the death of a close friend earlier this year.

He defended Katrina Kaif, who had faced comments about her weight after giving birth. "Everyone puts on weight after getting pregnant. When she returns to films, she will get back in shape. She wants to spend time with her family," he said.

He also pointed to money as the engine behind much of it. "They are making money by putting you down, and there might be heroes or producers who would encourage this by paying some money. Then people talk about corruption. For money, they give four or five stars to films. That is also a huge corruption. So are you in any position to talk about ethics or morals," he said.

And he made clear he knows where it comes from. "I know who trolls me. We have so many fan clubs that we know who does what. We just choose not to react."

Elsewhere in the episode, he defended his brother Sohail Khan and Varun Dhawan over comments about their looks, and criticised paparazzi who photograph actresses from behind.

Not everyone agrees

The response has not been unanimous.

Actor and former Bigg Boss contestant Sofia Hayat criticised Salman publicly, calling him a hypocritical idiot, before later clarifying that she had nothing against the way he looks.

A radio presenter who had made remarks about Katrina Kaif's appearance has since apologised to her.

Where Bigg Boss 20 stands

The season began on 6 September with 16 contestants, and Salman is hosting for the seventeenth time.

Much of its early run has been shaped by his comments about the treatment of public figures online, rather than by events inside the house.