Behind the scenes of Indian television, veteran actors reveal surprising habits. Hina Khan’s constant shifting of luggage, Divyanka Tripathi’s obsession with ‘Crime Patrol’ cases, Dara Singh’s sleep-talking appearance as Lord Hanuman, and Kapil Sharma’s constant pre-show jitters, offer a glimpse into the fascinating, often eccentric lives of TV stars beyond their scripted roles.

Indian television has provided people with memorable dramas and great characters for decades. But what happens behind the camera is usually more interesting than what’s written in the script. Bizarre on-set rituals that have baffled fellow co-stars over time, India has never had a big TV star with as entertaining habits as his screen characters.

Hina Khan and the case of lost luggage

Known for her decade-long role of Akshara in ‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai’ and her memorable performance in ‘Bigg Boss 11’, Khan is one of the most recognizable faces of Indian TV. However, off-screen, she is unable to keep track of anything she owns. Husband Rocky Jaiswal revealed this on the sets of ‘Laughter Chefs 2’ in 2025, telling the crew that Khan has a habit of constantly misplacing things – keys, phones, accessories, all of it. The actress, who shows complete control over the camera, apparently can’t find her stuff at home half the time. Meanwhile, Rocky revels with the cheerful exhaustion of a man who has long since accepted his fate.

While hosting ‘Crime Patrol’, Divyanka Tripathi had asked for information about all the cases.

Known for her long-running role as Ishita in ‘Yeh Hai Mohabbatein’ and her powerful hosting duties in ‘Crime Patrol’, Tripathi has built a reputation for immersing herself completely in her work. It turns out that immersion comes at a price. She revealed on Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa’s podcast that she demanded the full background of every real case featured on the show, knowing full well it would upset them. Nightmares started coming again and again. The weird part? Tripathi was unable to break this habit throughout the show’s run, yet kept asking for more details.

Dara Singh used to speak dialogues of Lord Hanuman even in sleep.

Dara Singh, best known for playing Lord Hanuman in ‘Ramayana’ (1987), was deeply immersed in his role. In an interview with Koimoi, his son Vindu revealed that even years after the show ended, Dara Singh would mutter Hanuman’s dialogues in his sleep and his mother would wake him up saying, “The show ended 10 years ago!”

Kapil Sharma gets nervous before every episode

The host of ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’ and ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’, Sharma is arguably the biggest name in Indian comedy television today. However, behind the confident onstage persona is a man who has never felt comfortable before being in front of the camera. Bharti Singh revealed in an interview to Pinkvilla that she sweats a lot backstage before every episode and watches every show as if it is her first show. Even after hundreds of episodes across multiple hit formats, the pre-show anxiety has never left him, and at this point, it probably never will.