India, July 25 -- 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.

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 pac...