Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; January 1, 2017)

The way my career started off was silly. I decided to go for an audition for the fun of it and even lied about my age. I was 16, but since it was a rule to be 18, I said I was. I auditioned for a chick flick set in a college. A few months later, I got a call asking me to come down and take a look test for a TV show for a 9 pm prime slot. I had no idea that I would come to Mumbai, and then never go back to Pune. That show was Kasamh Se. The day my life changed was the day my character marries Mr Walia (who was played by Ram Kapoor).

I was told a night before about this plot development. I was petrified playing a bride at 17 but Ekta Kapoor, and everyone else possible called to pacify me and assured me it was for the good of the show. Our TRPs shot up with that one episode, and we became the number 1 show. The fan mail increased and I knew life changed. It was impossible to step out after that, as people would flock me everywhere. I remember I was in Surat visiting family for Navratri one year and there were people standing on my balcony, trying to get in. That incident scarred me so badly that I never went back to live there. I felt like an exotic animal in a zoo. During my board exams, news channels followed my car till Pune and got pictures of me appearing for the exam. That was unreal and I didn't know how to handle it.

Thankfully, I had someone like Ram as a co-actor who would pamper me like a kid. He called me Bunny and it is only because of him, I stayed calm and pulled through the show with such confidence.