Long before social media turned celebrities into instantly recognisable faces, television had already created its own superstars. At the peak of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, actor Apara Mehta experienced the kind of fan frenzy usually reserved for movie icons. Recalling those days, she shared how an appearance in Kolkata turned into a dangerous crowd surge.
When Apara Mehta was mobbed after Kyunki’s success
Apara recalled, “Kyunki was at the peak aur mera Gujarati drama Kolkata mein hota tha, 5 show hote the Kala Mandir mein. Seat to seat packed hote the. Jaise hi main enter hui, 8000 dandiya uchle as soon as they saw me (Because Kyunki was at its peak, and my Gujarati play used to be staged in Kolkata, where we performed five shows at Kala Mandir. Every seat was packed. The moment I entered, 8,000 dandiyas were thrown into the air as soon as people saw me). And the way I was mobbed.”
She added, “Mujhe kheench ke podium pe le gaye. People were pulling and pushing me. I started shaking hands with them, toh koi meri diamond ki angoothi kheench raha hai, kisi ne mujhe cigarette laga dii (They literally dragged me onto the podium. People were pulling and pushing me from all sides. When I started shaking hands with them, someone tried to pull off my diamond ring, and someone even accidentally burned me with a cigarette). And the whole podium started shaking. People went crazy. It became very dangerous. Then they asked me to get down from the podium, they formed a circle around me and, at that time, everybody touched me everywhere. I said, ‘Okay touch kar lo, kya milega?’ (It’s okay, you can touch me, but what will you get?)”
Apara essayed the role of Savita Virani, Mihir’s mother and Tulsi’s mother-in-law, in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. She received widespread praise for her performance. The show became a blockbuster and ran for eight years before going off air. It has now returned with a reboot starring Smriti Irani and Amar Upadhyay in the lead roles. The reboot has also been receiving a warm response from viewers.
About Apara Mehta
Apara Mehta is a veteran Indian television, film and theatre actor with a career spanning over four decades. She is best known for playing the iconic role of Savita Mansukh Virani in the long-running television show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, which made her a household name.
Over the years, she has appeared in several popular television shows, including Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka, Saat Phere, Hamari Devrani, Jamai Raja, Qayamat Ki Raat, Anupamaa and Kabhi Kabhie Ittefaq Sey. Apart from television, she has also acted in Hindi and Gujarati films such as Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, Devdas and Tees Maar Khan, among others.