Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; September 7, 2015)

They have found themselves under the same roof on numerous occasions, but the frost between Salman Khan and Vivek Oberoi refuses to thaw. If sources are to be believed, the two actors were booked in the same hotel in Delhi on Saturday, but played an avoidance game rather deftly.

A source says, “Salman was in Delhi for a day to promote his upcoming production with the film’s lead pair Athiya Shetty and Sooraj Pancholi. Vivek, on the other hand, was there on some personal work and checked into the same hotel where Salman had put up. When word started spreading about the two rival actors being at one place at the same time, it was ensured that they did not come face to face with each other.”

In the last couple of years, the two actors have been present at the same venue at the same time, but without exchanging a word or a formal greeting. Their rivalry dates back to 2003 when Vivek called a press conference at his residence accusing Salman of threatening him over his association with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. “While Vivek has tried apologising to Salman on a few occasions, the latter has never acknowledged him,” adds the source. The two actors remained unavailable for comment.

A source close to Vivek says, “Had he been aware of Salman’s presence at the fivestar property, he would have gone ahead and met him. But he had no idea about the other guests at the hotel.”