Popular Indian actress Krystle D’souza has lately appeared in a conversation session with host Siddharth during which she exposed gruelling working conditions in the TV Industry.
In the conversation, Krystle revealed how taxing it was to work on the sets of shows produced by Balaji. She mentioned that shoots would go on for 30 days and 20-30 hours at a stretch back then. Krystle said: “I started with Rs. 2,500 per day. There were no rules back then that said that the shooting needed to stop after 12 hours. Even governing bodies like CINTAA wouldn’t get involved. I have even shot for 60 hours non-stop. We used to shoot every day because the telecast would either be for the same day or the next.”
Siddharth expressed concern over the actor’s well-being in such conditions. He asked her if she had ever felt burnt out, and Krystle responded: “Yes, I have. I’ve even fainted on set many times. They would call for an ambulance, put me on an IV drip, give me medicines, and then I’d be back to the set. There was no time to go to the hospital. (laughs) They’d bring the hospital to the set and fix you up in an ambulance. It was taking a toll on me, and anyway I wasn’t able to keep up.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwHFzaS3gGA
Krystle D’Souza credits her current successes to Ekta Kapoor and Balaji
While working conditions on Ekta Kapoor’s sets may have been far from humane, Krystal still believes that she owes her success to the producer. She shared a fun anecdote about her chance meeting with Ekta when she was bunking college.
Krystle was “chilling” outside her college when Ekta stopped her car and asked her if she wanted to be an actor. The Ek Nayi Pehchaan star, whose first concern was getting paid, considered it and said “yes”. Ekta then told her to show up for a meeting. Krystle said:
“So I went for a meeting, then I did an audition, and I held a placard, which said ‘Krystle’ with a ‘K’. I think that’s what did it for her. She said, ‘I found my Kinjal.’”