It is a circus in Bollywood, with Salman Khan as clown and Vivek Oberoi as the trapeze artiste.

Vivek recently took a chance exposing Salman -- who, he alleged, called him 41 times in a single night and threatened to kill him -- in front of the television cameras.

Bollywood seems to blow hot and cold over Salman's antics. When he was accused of shooting the endangered black buck in October 1998; when he tangled with producers and actors -- he allegedly misbehaved with Subhash Ghai, Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan; when he was involved in a car accident, killing one person and injuring three others allegedly in a drunken stupor, he was lambasted. 'He is losing it,' an actor had then said. Now the same actor fully supports Salman.

'Producers don't want to sign him. He is a menace,' said a prominent producer who had sworn never to work with Salman again.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali (after Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, he wants to direct Salman in Bajirao Mastani), for example, has ripped Oberoi apart in print.

Since Salman is doing Bhansali's new film, it suits the director to defend him. He seems to have forgotten the ruckus Salman created on the sets of Devdas. He also seems to have forgotten all those occasions when Salman's behaviour caused him embarrassment. Bhansali, at one point, had sworn never to work with him again.

Suddenly, Bhansali champions his cause.

Vivek might have gone overboard calling Salman names but he did what he believed in. He was harassed by Salman and decided to make it public. At least, he didn't run away from the scene like Salman is supposed to have done after his accident last year.

Who is to decide who is right or wrong?

Salman's brother Arbaaz says, 'All normal people have problems. Salman is a normal guy having normal problems.'

If harassing women/producers/costars is normal, God save him.

Every time he is supposed to have wreaked havoc, his family or his macho friends defend him, saying, 'Poor guy. He has personal problems.'

Problems created by whom? 

Arbaaz says Vivek's problem with Salman stems from his (Vivek's) relationship with Aishwarya Rai whom Salman was close to at one point of time. 'He [Vivek] is frustrated,' says Arbaaz. If Vivek is frustrated and insecure about Salman's place in Aishwarya's life, why was he at her side after her accident last week?

Vivek's press conference is being dismissed as a publicity stunt.

Suddenly, industrywallahs speak about solidarity and keeping it within the fraternity. To think this was the same crowd hell-bent on boycotting Salman a few months ago.

Vivek is the flavour of the year. It is almost as if they were waiting for him to make one false move so they could tear him apart.

Tomorrow, when Salman runs into another controversy and Vivek delivers another hit, Bollywood will change its tune.

Already, after Aishwarya's statement against Salman, the industry is singing a new song.

"Vivek is like my younger brother," claims a hero who supports Salman, but hopes to sign Vivek for his next production.

Abhishek Bachchan, choreographer Ganesh Hegde and Diya Mirza, who expressed disdain for what Vivek did, now say they were misquoted.

Welcome to the Bollywood circus.