'I live my real life with every shot'
For those of you who are ardent fans of TV soaps, especially ones where women play the lead, Krystle D’Souza aka Jeevika of Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai is a familiar name. For the uninformed, the serial has already created a buzz by getting a couple of nominations in Indian Television Academy Awards including a nomination for Krystle in the Best Actress-Drama (Jury) category.
The serial has completed 300 episodes and remains amongst the top 10 daily soaps of the last year and without a change in the main cast.
In a candid chat with Metrolife, Krystle, the serial’s heroine talks about her love for Ek Hazaaron mein... and how she got to present herself as a ‘typical Indian woman’.
“Jeevika has become synonymous with Krystle and I am not really sure when that happened. I am not saying this because I am playing the lead but my character is what I am in real life,” says Krystle, who is so in love with Ek Hazaaron... that she has started to believe it is a reality show! “I had to wait for eight months before the show was aired. Now, when it has completed one year, I believe I live my real life with every shot I take,” she says.
Starting her career aged 17, with Kahiin Naa Kahiin, Krystle was always sure that she wanted to act in television serials, the reason being her mother’s obsession for them.
“As a kid I used to see my mom keenly watching serials. So I decided to try my luck in them to make my mother happy. Besides, glamour has always attracted me. So, despite being good in studies I opted for TV serials,” Krystle says.
However, Hindi was a big hurdle before she had even begun her career. Even during her college days, she had participated in English dramas while Hindi plays had been a big ‘No, No’.
“I was interested in doing serials but the fluency in Hindi required for it was nowhere around. I realised I could appeal to the audience only if I can speak Hindi well. I used to give extra time for mugging up my lines and asked people around me to correct me wherever I went wrong.”
Despite the language barrier, Krystle has created a place amongst her audience and feels privileged to share space with some big names of the television industry.
“Unlike men who dominate the big screen, women and girls are ruling the small screen. I feel privileged to be part of it. As actors we want to become part of people’s lives and it is great to hear that people watch us every day and try to relate to the characters we portray,” she signs off.
