TV stars speak on their most annoying fan experiences

Fan following is an indispensible part of being a celebrity. Stars often like fans queuing up to take their autographs, following them on social networking sites and thronging to catch a fleeting glimpse of them. However, at times fans can be quite a nuisance though. The word ‘fan’ is an abbreviation of the word ‘fanatic’. It is perfectly normal to appreciate the work of a celebrity. But fans often cross the border of normal behavior while worshipping their idols. Fans at times get so carried away that they get confused and delusional and simply can’t figure out that TV stars are merely essaying characters in a soap. For instance Tellychakkar.com gets many calls from anguished fans who demand from us things like, “Please convince Arjun (Rithvik Dhanjani) and Purvi (Asha Negi) of Pavitra Rishta to re-unite.” Hence, here’s an article wherein your favourite stars shared their most annoying fan experiences. Anjum Farooki who played Gauri in Colors’ Balika Vadhu is irked by a teenaged fan. She share her ordeal, “I have a 15-year-old fan who has created a lot of disturbance in my life. She got my number from somewhere and keeps calling me repeatedly. She also keeps on messaging me. I have put my point several times to her politely but she just doesn’t understand and I can’t be rude to any of my fans, so it puts me in a helpless state. In fact, she was after me for an invitation to my wedding. As I am a private person I didn’t want to invite someone I don’t know.” Reem Sheikh who is currently playing Rimjhim in Na Bole Tum... Na Maine Kuch Kaha is stalked by twin sisters from Ahmedabad. They initially called on her father’s mobile requesting for a chat with her. Her father firmly and courteously told them not to waste their phone calls on STD calls. He added that if they called once again he would complain to their mother. Her father was quite taken aback to get a call from their mom immediately after that. Narrating her plight Reem says, “To our surprise their mother was even worse than them. Eventually my dad gave up and allowed them to speak to me on one condition that they stopped calling. Finally I spoke to all of them and that too for 30 minutes. They have been very sweet and have been following me from my first serial Devi on Imagine and have seen most of my advertisements. They asked again if they can call me on my birthday to which I agreed. Actually, I quite like them now and I hope they call me on my birthday.” What do you generally do when you see a pretty girl or a handsome guy crossing the road? At most you may look at him or her a little longer thinking silently that the person is quite good looking. What if someone added that he was an actor? There are many people who would immediately mob the person. A celebrity actor is simply a person who has been highly successful in his or her acting profession. We never hound a top doctor in the country for autographs and photographs, do we? The appearance on TV however changes everything. Not only did adults pull the cheeks of TV and film star Darsheel Safary when he made his film debut on Taare Zameen Par, but overnight the children of his school started viewing him as a wonder kid. The actor shares his plight with us, “Right after my first film Taare Zameen Par had been released I had gone down to my school canteen to grab a bite. I saw hundreds of school boys thronging me. They started pulling me and tore my shirt and untied my shoe laces in the process. Finally the school principal had to intervene.” A TV or film actor no matter how famous he may be is a normal human being just like any of us. He breathes, eats, sleeps, laughs, cries and does all the usual things we do. Frenzied fans however don’t realise that. Darshan Jariwala who was in films and TV shows like Gandhi, My Father and Saas Bina Sasural recollects incidents of being annoyed by fans. “I was shooting for a film in Vadaval which is a coastal town in Gujarat. Fans out there weren’t exactly rude but were crowding around me and ogling at me as if I was an alien from outer space. When I politely requested them to step back they refused to do so and simply grinned at me. At times it is very tough to get the message across to pesky fans that they should maintain a distance from me. Sometimes they come in big groups and demand to click individual pictures with me. That gets quite tough for me especially when I have a hectic schedule. I have to stand like a lamp post as they come in turns to take a click.” At times fans can get psychotic. Rohit Roy who has done movies and TV shows like Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand, Swabhimaan and Hitler Didi recently was harassed by a teenager who believed to be in love with him. Looking back at the tormenting incident he says, “My worst fan experience has been when I was shooting for my first show Swabhimaan. A 15-year-old girl had fallen in love with me. She was a neighbour. I actually sat her down and explained to her that it was infatuation towards a character and not love but she simply wouldn’t listen. She would keep waiting under my building till I came home, however late in the night it may have been. She would keep crying still she saw me and that was really scary. Thankfully after much persuasion from me and her family, she got a hold on herself and calmed down. Eventually she left the city.” When fans who imagine themselves to be soul-mates of the star don’t back off, they may have no choice but to lodge a police complaint like Aishwarya Sakhuja who was in Saas Bina Sasural was compelled to do. She relates her nightmarish experience. “A stalker fan of mine who would think that I was his wife would call me 200 times at night. He kept on sending me messages relentlessly. He would also call me my dad in Delhi pleading, ‘You are my father-in-law. Please speak to me once.’ He would get an earful from him but continued to harass us. Finally I had to complain to the police. He stopped after they meted out a stern warning to him.” To sum up, do follow your favourite star on Twitter. It’s fine to put up their posters in your room. There is no harm in clicking a photo with them or taking an autograph when they are in a mood to give it. He may be happy when you open his fan club. Just make sure to respect his privacy and maintain your distance from him. Simply don’t get carried away by hysteria.