Salman Khan's admirers are less forgiving of Vivek Oberoi's outburst in the media than the star.

On Tuesday Oberoi alleged Khan called him 41 times in one night and asked him to keep away from Aishwarya Rai, Rani Mukherji and Somy Ali.

Says Kareena Kapoor, "If he had a problem with Salman, why could he not solve it instead of going to the press? I have worked briefly with Salman for a film I finally did not do. He was thoroughly gentlemanly with me. My sister Karisma and Salman are very good friends. In fact, she contacted him immediately after this incident."

Suniel Shetty sounds regretful, "I don't know what's happening with Vivek and how he looks at life. Being an actor and a coartiste, he should not have taken the matter to the press. If he felt Salman had behaved badly, he [Oberoi] should have confronted him [Khan] physically instead of talking about it on television. I thought it was in very bad taste. Everyone believes Vivek has done it for publicity.

"I know Salman," continues Shetty, "He is a fantastic human being. He [Khan] says he made a call or two. But he says he wasn't abusive. I get irked with some seniors, for example, when they come late on the sets. But I still hero worship them. Where is the question of Salman getting insecure about his career? Filmmakers keep going back to Salman."

Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who is set to launch his next film with Khan, describes the star as "the best human being I have met in my life."

Upset on his friend's behalf, Bhansali says, "I think Vivek Oberoi has committed the biggest blunder ever by any actor in Mumbai. He is so powerful. He knows kick-boxing and karate. [US President George W] Bush should call back his army from Iraq and send Vivek instead. I am very scared of Vivek. I will never be able to work with him now. I may shout at him on the sets and he may call a press conference against me. All the heroines should touch his feet for protecting their dignity.

"The media should be ready to cover every event at the Oberois' residence," adds Bhansali. "If Vivek's dog has dysentery tomorrow, we should be prepared to hear Vivek talk about it on camera for three hours. The film industry functions on fraternal feelings. If there is a problem, we solve it in-house. Vivek has no business talking about Salman's mental state. He should not have talked about his Coca-Cola campaign or Rani Mukherji, Diya Mirza and Aishwarya Rai at a time when he was supposed to be so distraught."

"Vivek must learn discretion from stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Ajay Devgan. There is dignity in being a celebrity. Let us not lose that dignity. Didn't Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand have differences of opinion? They never maligned each other."

"Salman's problem," continues Bhansali, "is he thinks with his heart. He gives his life to people he loves. That is why his friends have always stood by him. He is perfectly sane and there is no need to send him to a shrink, as some self-styled psychoanalysts think. As for him getting professionally insecure, Salman will be around for a long time. I am making my next film with him. He has given three of the biggest hits ever [in Bollywood] -- Maine Pyaar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hain Koun...! and Karan Arjun. Those who think Salman is getting insecure should examine their career closely. If you believe you are the new kid on the block and four of your films flop in a row, it is time to get delirious publicity."

"It is not Salman who is insecure at 37," declares Bhansali. "If Vivek was threatened, why is he giving unsolicited advice to Salman and his family? I don't think Salman needs counselling from any self-motivated colleague. How much time has Vivek spent with Salman to know how he handles his women? Why should there be a press conference to hear Oberoi put forward his views based on hearsay? Did we ask him what happened between him and his fiancée whom he broke up with after an elaborate engagement?"

Abhishek Bachchan has the final word, "In the film industry, there is a code of honour whereby all problems are sorted out internally."