Krystle D’Souza is riding a wave of fresh attention after Shararat, the viral song from Aditya Dhar and Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar. Marking her first-ever dance number on screen, the song sees Krystal share the frame with Ayesha Khan, with choreography by Vijay Ganguly. Set against a wedding backdrop, Shararat stood out for its energy, the party beats and the chemistry between the two women.
In an exclusive conversation with Filmfare, Krystle opens up about the moment she realised the song had gone viral, the simple brief that shaped the performance, and the quick turnaround that led to the shoot. She also talks about bonding with Ayesha on set, sharing the stage with Ranveer Singh at the song launch, and why that moment stayed with her. Reflecting on her journey from television to films, Krystal shares her advice for her younger self, discussing ambition, self-doubt, and more.
Excerpts:
What was your reaction when the song was released?
It didn’t hit me for a while because I wasn’t in India. I was travelling, and suddenly I started seeing it all over social media. I was getting tagged every five minutes. Then my friends and family began telling me the song had gone viral back home. I remember sitting in Amsterdam thinking, “Oh my god, what just happened?” It happened overnight, and suddenly everyone was vibing to the song. When I finally landed back, I sat in my car, turned on the radio, and there it was playing.
Did you anticipate this response?
I didn’t think it would blow up to this level. I’ve never done a dance number before, so I didn’t understand the magnitude of it. When we were briefed about the song, I heard it and thought it was catchy. After the meeting, when I was driving back home, I was automatically humming the tune and thinking, okay, it’s stuck. So I knew this was something people were going to love, but to this extent, I didn’t anticipate it.
What kind of brief did you get from Aditya Dhar?
I first got a call from Mukesh Chhabra’s casting agency. They told me there was a song happening and asked me to come in for a test the next day. I went for it and met Vijay Ganguly (the choreographer) and Aditya Dhar. We did a few hook steps. The one that you see wasn’t the only hook step we tried. We experimented with a lot of steps. After that, I was selected, and we were told we’d be shooting the song in the next three days. We had only that much time to rehearse. The brief was very simple. It wasn’t a typical item song. It’s two girls, and it is set in a wedding sequence, so the idea was to make it more fun and vibrant. Also, because it’s two girls, the focus isn’t on just one person or on making it an item number. Vijay sir said that I have a very different personality and so does Ayesha, and that’s why they wanted to put the two of us together. That’s a combination nobody would have thought of.
Tell us about your bond with Ayesha…
She’s a really sweet and talented woman and a good dancer. When I was told that I’d be dancing with her, I went on her Instagram and saw that she dances so well. That gave me a motivational boost. When your co-star is good in a scene, you know the scene is going to be good. So, when your co-dancer is good, you know the dance is going to be good.
We didn’t rehearse much together because our lines of the song are different from each other, but when we came together on set, I saw she was so good and talented. It was a lot of fun shooting with her. We somehow just complemented each other in a very understated way. It’s so important to have women who lift each other, and I think she’s one of them. And I’m one of them for her.
You also shared the stage with Ranveer Singh on the day the song launched…
There was no plan to go up on stage. Jasmine Sandlas and Madhubanti Bagchi launched the song by singing it on stage. It was just the music launch, but when they started singing, we saw the crowd had started vibing to the song. That was the first time they heard Shararat, but everyone was vibing. That’s when Ranveer said, “Krystal, this is your song. We need to go on stage and perform.” I wasn’t prepared for it at all because I was wearing a saree, and I was not sure if I’d be able to dance in a saree.
But that’s the energy Ranveer gives out. You feel like matching up to it. He gave Madhubanti and Jasmine the time on stage to sing the song, and then he said let’s do it one more time, but with Krystal, because it is her song and she needs to perform it.
He took me on stage and gave me the centre to perform. As an actor, as a human being and as somebody from this industry, that meant a lot to me. That somebody is giving you the importance in that moment. It’s very rare to find that, that’s why he’s a superstar, and he is where he is. Ranveer wanted me to have my moment for my song and tried his best to do the steps as well. He told me that he’d copy my steps, and that was so sweet that he was trying to give me that motivation and attention for that moment.
What’s the best compliment that you received for Shararat?My dad’s not really a Bollywood buff, but every time he sees me, he replicates the steps. That’s the biggest compliment I can get. Because he’s not somebody who watches a lot of my work.
Everyone was surprised to see me in the film because I didn’t tell anyone that I’m a part of it. On the day the song launched, people were a little confused to see me on stage. I got a lot of messages from my friends and family asking me whether I was there to just promote the film. I just asked them to wait and watch. I’d just performed and didn’t know how much of it would be there in the film. So I didn’t want to take a risk by telling people I was a part of Dhurandhar. But the music video was released separately, so that the whole performance was out there for people to watch and appreciate.
You have also worked with some iconic actors. What are some of the qualities that you have embodied from these people?
From Amitabh Bachchan, I have learnt to be grounded and humble.
Emraan Hashmi is very dedicated and focused on his fitness. He is disciplined. Riteish Deshmukh is such a fun-loving co-star to have. Fardeen Khan, on the other hand, is a gentleman. He is so good at what he does. He worked on his accent and on his craft to become Shoaib, who’s a Dongri ka ladka in the film Visfot. Otherwise, he’s so polished and has a slight accent. But you will never imagine that’s the same person playing Shoaib. Talking about Ranveer Singh, his energy, vibe, big-heartedness, and confidence are some things I would love to apply in my life, not just professionally but also personally.
You are still remembered for your role in Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai.
There are a lot of people who recognise me from a lot of my work, but, yes, the majority does still recognise me for that show. It was something that played in every household. Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai shaped me and made me who I am, so if people remember me for that, I’m absolutely very proud of it. I do get recognised for other characters and roles as well, but not as much as that show.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
I would say don’t give up and don’t lose hope. The young me almost gave up many times, thinking it’s not going to work out. I thought I would not be able to sustain for too long, but hey, look at me now!
Why did you feel like you wanted to give up?
It’s not easy to sustain for so many years. It’s been 17 years since I’ve been in this industry. Trying to get more work in different portals is difficult. Especially the jump from Television to OTT to films. Some people tell you that you are an overexposed face because you’ve done so much television or OTT, and for films, they are looking for somebody fresh. But then, you always meet people who think it is a plus point because you have that much experience and confidence to face the camera. Instead of taking somebody new, they would love to take someone with experience. There are two sides, but unfortunately, in the beginning, when I was trying to make that leap, I got a lot of comments saying that I was an overexposed face. And I thought it’s not going to work out because I’m not a fresh face anymore.
Also Read: Krystle D’souza Addresses Buzz About Replacing Tamannaah Bhatia in Dhurandhar Song
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