It is flattering, scary to have devoted fans: Gurmeet Choudhary

Actor Gurmeet Choudhary is nonplussed over how to react to a fan who has threatened him. He says it goes to show how there are pros and cons of fandom.

"I'm not a stranger to fan attention. I do have my share of admirers and fans. To me they are God. Whatever I am, whatever I've achieved is because of them. I owe my career to them. But then I also have the right to some privacy. There has to be some area of my life that fans cannot enter," Gurmeet said.

Last month, Gurmeet had shared on social media that he was receiving concerned calls and messages from fans all over that some person wants to commit suicide to prove his fandom. Mumbai police took cognisance of his tweet, and extended support to the actor.

The actor said he has had his share of intrusive fans.

"But they've mostly been women, asking me to to do all kinds of things with them. This is the first time I've been stalked by a man. I don't know how to react because he threatened to kill himself and then he says there's danger to my life. So I don't know what he wants to do. Kill me or kill himself."

Gurmeet blames this era of a widespread social media network for direct access to stars and celebrities.

"Earlier, fans didn't know stars' whereabouts. Now everyone knows where we are. This man who wants to kill himself or kill me or whatever, knew I was in Dubai for a magazine launch with my wife Debina when this whole thing broke out.

"I am not scared for myself. I can take care of myself. But what about my family? I can't be with my wife all the time. What if this stalker tracks her down somewhere? This is why I say it is both flattering and scary to have devoted fans," he said.

Gurmeet gives full credit to the Mumbai police for taking charge of his and his family's security.

"I can't tell you all the details of the security arrangement. But the Mumbai police has been truly supportive and I feel my family is safe. I just don't want this misguided man to come to any harm or cause any harm. He claims some man is threatening my life.

"I don't how much he is imagining and how much of what he says is true. But the amount of information that he has on me and my movements is very frightening."

Gurmeet said: "This kind of overbearing adulation is not welcome."

--IANS

skj/rb/bg