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Tring Tring… Crank Crank
There is always a flip side to stardom. Being popular can often be a curse for actors - one of them is that they are easy targets for threat, prank and crank calls. We asked some of them their strange experiences with people and fans.
There is always a flip side to stardom. Being popular can often be a curse for actors - one of them is that they are easy targets for threat, prank and crank calls. We asked some of them their strange experiences with people and fans.
Koena Mitra
Once, some guy called saying he was a casting director from Mira Nair's office. He said she (Mira) was making a comedy film and took the names of two huge Bollywood stars who were supposed to be in it. My instinct told me that Mira Nair probably wouldn't be making a mainstream commercial Hindi film so I asked for details of the movie. He didn't have much information and was fumbling. Basically he wanted to meet me and used the "work" angle to get me there.
There is this other guy from Delhi called Vinay who has been messaging me for the past three years after every interview, promo or film release. I don't mind it because he doesn't call me or bother me and he never sends me nasty messages. Sometimes when I don't reply to a message I'll get some real vicious texts accusing me of being a big headed celeb with an attitude. I know that as an actor I survive because of fans but I can't keep messaging everyone throughout my busy schedule.
Being an actor, this is part of life. Sometimes the calls are nice, sometimes they're funny and sometimes they're down right obnoxious. To avoid unnecessary trouble I don't take calls from unknown numbers and I switch my phone off when shooting so I don't get disturbed. The only thing I'm completely lost at is how these people manage to get hold of numbers.
Shewta Salve
How my fans get my number is something I would like to know! I think everyone gets prank calls from all walks of life but yes, as someone in the glamour industry, the number of crank calls we get are more than usual. They aren't all that bad though. I get calls and SMSs through fans and people who appreciate my work and that feels really great.
Some are crazy, most are funny and a few are scary. I get calls from people hell-bent on troubling me so they go on and on. Then there are some who just want to sit and chat. They want to meet me and come on the sets. From conversations with them I can gauge the caller and figure out their character. I invite them on the sets and we meet up. Most callers are harmless and sweet and thankfully none of them have done weird things like proposing me.
Hiten Tejwani
Two years ago a girl used to call me up telling me she wanted to marry me! I told her I was already happily married but she said she still wanted to marry. That was long ago and thank God it hasn't happened in a while.
I get blank calls a lot of times. Every now and then I get phone calls from unknown numbers. When I pick up the person on the other end won't speak a word so I hang up and call back. Then the person denies calling and plays dumb.
Sushma Reddy
I get a lot of weird calls and text messages on my cell phone. Once I get the call I save the number under a name like "freak" so that I know not to answer the next time. I text back the person telling them I'm going to report them to the cops. That usually tends to work. The most unnerving are people who send messages tracking your every moment. I used to go every morning to jogger's park for a run. This guy used to text me asking me, "What time are you coming today?" He was stalking me and it was very scary and irritating because I couldn't go in peace for a jog!
There was this other incident where some guy was posing as the agent for a textile tycoon from Gujarat. He said he wanted me to do an ad but I smelt a rat because he was very fishy. It sounded like some pimping racket. He wanted to meet me in person alone and refused to let me bring supervision. I got really angry. Thankfully he never called again or I would have filed a complaint.
Murli Sharma
I get calls out of the blue from strangers. After Main Hoon Na there were people calling me up to congratulate me and I have no idea where these people get my number from! Usually these calls happen when I'm in the middle of a rehearsal or I'm busy so it can be irritating to entertain them.
Apart from calls, I get post cards from small towns in UP and MP. From the ten people who call me five of them are aspiring to be actors! They want to meet me and I don't know what to tell them. Once, a fan approached me because he wanted to meet Shah Rukh Khan. They're fans and as actors we need them. It's always nice to know someone appreciates your work but at the same time we have to keep distance as being too good to them lands us in trouble.
Aditi Gowarikar
The worst was when people used to try and call me in the middle of the night. In my older house I would get calls at midnight, 2 AM and sometimes 3 AM in the morning. These guys would usually be drunk and slurring. Some would talk dirty and sometimes there would be just complete silence. It used to be quite bad until my husband started answering all those calls and then slowly they stopped trying to call me anymore. Luckily it was never serious enough to go to the police.
Once, some guy called saying he was a casting director from Mira Nair's office. He said she (Mira) was making a comedy film and took the names of two huge Bollywood stars who were supposed to be in it. My instinct told me that Mira Nair probably wouldn't be making a mainstream commercial Hindi film so I asked for details of the movie. He didn't have much information and was fumbling. Basically he wanted to meet me and used the "work" angle to get me there.
There is this other guy from Delhi called Vinay who has been messaging me for the past three years after every interview, promo or film release. I don't mind it because he doesn't call me or bother me and he never sends me nasty messages. Sometimes when I don't reply to a message I'll get some real vicious texts accusing me of being a big headed celeb with an attitude. I know that as an actor I survive because of fans but I can't keep messaging everyone throughout my busy schedule.
Being an actor, this is part of life. Sometimes the calls are nice, sometimes they're funny and sometimes they're down right obnoxious. To avoid unnecessary trouble I don't take calls from unknown numbers and I switch my phone off when shooting so I don't get disturbed. The only thing I'm completely lost at is how these people manage to get hold of numbers.
Shewta Salve
How my fans get my number is something I would like to know! I think everyone gets prank calls from all walks of life but yes, as someone in the glamour industry, the number of crank calls we get are more than usual. They aren't all that bad though. I get calls and SMSs through fans and people who appreciate my work and that feels really great.
Some are crazy, most are funny and a few are scary. I get calls from people hell-bent on troubling me so they go on and on. Then there are some who just want to sit and chat. They want to meet me and come on the sets. From conversations with them I can gauge the caller and figure out their character. I invite them on the sets and we meet up. Most callers are harmless and sweet and thankfully none of them have done weird things like proposing me.
Hiten Tejwani
Two years ago a girl used to call me up telling me she wanted to marry me! I told her I was already happily married but she said she still wanted to marry. That was long ago and thank God it hasn't happened in a while.
I get blank calls a lot of times. Every now and then I get phone calls from unknown numbers. When I pick up the person on the other end won't speak a word so I hang up and call back. Then the person denies calling and plays dumb.
Sushma Reddy
I get a lot of weird calls and text messages on my cell phone. Once I get the call I save the number under a name like "freak" so that I know not to answer the next time. I text back the person telling them I'm going to report them to the cops. That usually tends to work. The most unnerving are people who send messages tracking your every moment. I used to go every morning to jogger's park for a run. This guy used to text me asking me, "What time are you coming today?" He was stalking me and it was very scary and irritating because I couldn't go in peace for a jog!
There was this other incident where some guy was posing as the agent for a textile tycoon from Gujarat. He said he wanted me to do an ad but I smelt a rat because he was very fishy. It sounded like some pimping racket. He wanted to meet me in person alone and refused to let me bring supervision. I got really angry. Thankfully he never called again or I would have filed a complaint.
Murli Sharma
I get calls out of the blue from strangers. After Main Hoon Na there were people calling me up to congratulate me and I have no idea where these people get my number from! Usually these calls happen when I'm in the middle of a rehearsal or I'm busy so it can be irritating to entertain them.
Apart from calls, I get post cards from small towns in UP and MP. From the ten people who call me five of them are aspiring to be actors! They want to meet me and I don't know what to tell them. Once, a fan approached me because he wanted to meet Shah Rukh Khan. They're fans and as actors we need them. It's always nice to know someone appreciates your work but at the same time we have to keep distance as being too good to them lands us in trouble.
Aditi Gowarikar
The worst was when people used to try and call me in the middle of the night. In my older house I would get calls at midnight, 2 AM and sometimes 3 AM in the morning. These guys would usually be drunk and slurring. Some would talk dirty and sometimes there would be just complete silence. It used to be quite bad until my husband started answering all those calls and then slowly they stopped trying to call me anymore. Luckily it was never serious enough to go to the police.
Cricket
Anupamaa
