"Though risky, I mustered the courage to come to Mumbai" – Kristine Zedek

Versatile talent, spontaneity, screen presence and beauty – if these are the facets to assess an actor, well then, Kristine Zedek would lead by a long way! As an actor, model, anchor, compere and voice-over artiste, Kristine has turned everything she touched into gold!
Zedek, a perfect blend of sharp wit, intellect, talent and, of course, the charm, has graced her presence in several hit television commercials, short films, and video songs that got cult following in the country and abroad. Her spontaneity, personality, quick wit and professionalism give her an edge over the rest.
The self-confessed lover of life and the “Walkie Talkie” – as she is known among her friends – has given IAD an opportunity of having a fun-filled and inspiring conversation.
About Kristine in your words?
I grew up in Dubai and completed my schooling there. Dubai is home for me as my family still resides there. I am an English Literature Major Graduate.
I have been fortunate to travel immensely around the globe which has given me the exposure to understand people, their diverse cultures, behaviour and cuisines. It has helped me acquire an international appeal in the various projects I have taken up.

Why did you choose entertainment as your profession?
I grew up being exposed to various kinds of cinema in every genre across both Hollywood and Bollywood. Since childhood, I loved expressing myself, had fantastic story-telling skills and was always animated in every which way. Sometimes, there’s an inbuilt confidence that sparks up when you come across what you’re inclined to the most and that spark happened each time I watched performances on big or small screens!
I remember very clearly…one day there was this ‘Eureka moment’ in my life when I decided now or never. Though risky, I mustered the courage to come to Mumbai, as I didn’t know anyone here and just knew it was my calling. The instant connect and love for both – cinema and the camera just came to me naturally! Also my personality traits of being an extrovert and happy-go-lucky person, helped me take this bold step in my life. I am the first one in my entire family to be in this industry.
How was your first audition experience like?
It was an audition that I had chanced upon, for Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad and I was surprised how I wasn’t nervous at all! On the contrary I was this little girl waiting impatiently for my turn, and happened to be the last one to give the audition. When I got a call saying ‘you are selected’. I was ecstatic!!!  To know that you are picked me from 1000s of other girls who auditioned was such a boost in itself. It felt perfect!
Throw some light on your professional life
In my acting experience, I got to work with some stalwart directors like Rajkumar Hirani, Pradeep Sarkar, Shoojit Sircar and Imtiaz Ali and co-actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Rani Mukherjee, through various television commercials. I’ve stint in theatre and done film workshops with experts from the industry like Jyoti Dogra and did a workshop with a Chinese Theatre Group as well.
I am not only versatile with my portrayal of different characters on screen, but also am versatile in my professional career as well. Apart from my love of being in front of the camera… I also enjoy being behind the scenes as a Voice Over artiste. I have voiced for few corporate films, Radio ads and international films as well.
Another aspect I equally love and enjoy doing is Anchoring/Compering or as some know it… Emceeing.  There’s a different kind of kick being on stage in front of a live audience, where there are no cuts or retakes. I have been fortunate to work with some high profile brands and companies. I have anchored shows for Airtel Formula One Races. Just being associated with F1 is really huge for me! I got to anchor for Neo Sports – The Tour Diary for the Indian-West Indies Series and also did a travel show for Voyage Television.
I have hosted various brand launches, press conferences, corporate shows, fashion shows and concerts. This is where my spontaneity, wit and sense of humour get to jump in and take over!!!
Journey so far?
It has been challenging but so very fulfilling…like “sugar and spice n all things nice”!!! Ha ha ha!
I started off with TV ads and anchoring for a travel show for Voyage television. I gradually moved on to doing short films. My first short film was my all-time favourite “Mehrooni”. I had also done a cool thriller short film called “Perception”, followed by a series of IDEA short films like Angel’s Club, Trust and a few more. I got to portray different characters and it was a great platform which gave me the scope to perform and have an entirely different experience altogether.
How did you land up as the main lead in Chennai 600028?
I did a popular fun music video called “Nain Katari” by the Band of Boys, for which again, I auditioned randomly for and was quite surprised when I got chosen for it. It was a simple, clean and funny music video, which was quite refreshing, especially when it came at the time of remixes. I got noticed from the video and was selected for Chennai 28 (Tamil). It’s my first and only feature film so far. It was a very different film and was soon called a ‘cult film’! I still have fans messaging me about the film and it feels amazing to know that you’re part of such an amazing project! People still talk about it and is now being remade into several languages.
Mesmerizing the music lovers in the melodious Nain Katari… (musing A Band of Boys – Siddharth Haldipur, Sherin Verghese, Chin2 Bhonsle and Karan Oberoi album):
[youtube=www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjUv0YRnOxo]
In the all-time hit Naukri.com – Hari Sadu (with boss Bobby Parvez):
[youtube=www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4eaIDOUfHc]
Cont’d…

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