25 July,2026 11:46 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Apara Mehta. Pic via Instagram
Actor Apara Mehta has built a successful career appearing a wide variety of roles across theatre, television as well as Gujarati and Bollywood film. However, her role as Savita Virani, Mihir's mother and Tulsi's mother-in-law, in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi remains one of her most iconic and remembered characters. Apara became a household face for her performance in the show. The actress recently opened up about an incident when she was mobbed by a crowd during the peak of the show.
During a recent interview with Hatterfly, Aparna recalled an incident in Kolkata that turned into an episode of harassment.
Apara shared, "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 went on to add, "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)."
She added, "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 Mehta is a veteran television, film and theatre actor and has been working in the entertainment industry for over four decades. Her portrayal as Savita Mansukh Virani in the long-running television show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, gained her widespread recognition.
Over the years, she has also seen in popular TV serials like Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka, Saat Phere, Hamari Devrani, Jamai Raja, Qayamat Ki Raat, Anupamaa and Kabhi Kabhie Ittefaq Sey. Additionally, she has also acted in Hindi and Gujarati films such as Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, Devdas and Tees Maar Khan, among several others.
