Kashmera Shah recalled her struggle days while working on Shah Rukh Khan–Juhi Chawla’s Yes Boss (1997).
When Kashmera Shah looks back at her Bollywood beginnings, the contrast between reel and real couldn’t be sharper. Recently while speaking on Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa’s podcast Bharti TV, the actress opened up about her tough early days in Bollywood, especially while working on Shah Rukh Khan- Juhi Chawla’s 1997 film Yes Boss.
In the film, Kashmera played a wealthy, stylish woman opposite Aditya Pancholi. Off-screen, however, she was far from the glamorous image she portrayed.
“I had to play a rich woman in the film, but I didn’t even have a car at that time. I didn’t have rich friends either. But I wanted that role so much,” she recalled.
Determined to hide her reality, Kashmera revealed she would arrive on set two hours before her call time. “I used to reach at 7 am instead of 9 am because I didn’t want anyone to see me coming in an auto rickshaw,” she told in the podcast. Meanwhile, her co-stars — Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, and Aditya Pancholi would arrive in style in their own luxury cars.
Kashmera mentioned that she had not even informed her mother about being part of the film and only took her to watch it later.
According to her, nobody used to recognize her without makeup, and she was struggling financially then. She revealed that she was paid Rs 30,000 for the role and added that she did not own a car at the time because she was still a struggler.
Kashmera also revealed that she was not the first choice for this film. She shared that Nikki Aneja had originally been cast for the role but left the project, possibly because she was getting married and did not want to pursue films.
From those humble beginnings, Kashmera went on to act in films like Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, Hera Pheri, and Jungle. Today, she is a familiar face on television.
Helmed by Aziz Mirza, Yes Boss revolves around a loyal assistant who dreams of success but finds himself torn between helping his manipulative boss and following his heart.
