The 2003 film Kal Ho Naa Ho, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, and Saif Ali Khan, is a classic in the history of Indian cinema. American content creator Ash Cantley, however, claims that she worked in the film and it was the ‘worst’ of her life. She claimed the experience was so bad that she even switched careers. Here’s what she said.
American influencer claims bad experience on Kal Ho Naa Ho
Ash, known for her Talk Pop To Me series, which discusses pop culture and celebrity gossip, says she has two decades of experience working as a TV producer and celebrity executive. At the TikTok Creator Summit held in New York last week, she says she befriended a creator who is passionate about Bollywood. When she told them she had to check her IMDb to find the ‘random’ Indian film she had done long ago, she was told by the creator that it was ‘like the Titanic of American films’.
She said, “I worked on the film Kal Ho Naa Ho, and it was so bad that I ended up switching careers,” adding, “I had such a such a bad experience on that film that I probably tried to block it out. First of all, I got paid $75 a day, and I’m talking 12 to 17-hour days. I was a set designer, which means I spent most of my time redesigning this diner, inch by inch.” Ash claimed that the diner was ‘abandoned’ and had ‘so much filth’. “It was the worst job of my life. I was severely underpaid. I’ll never do that again,” she said.
Internet reacts
Reactions to her video ranged from people being sceptical about whether she had even worked on the film to some wondering why she would accept a job where she claims to have been underpaid and miserable. In a follow-up video, she explained that she didn’t have a phone with a camera back then and has ‘no proof’ to prove herself beyond her IMDb. She also claimed that those criticising Bollywood for unfair pay need to recognise that Hollywood has the same issues too.
Ash also alleged that she was underpaid as compared to the men and that she was too young to know better. “I think the men got paid $125. I accepted it because I was young, dumb and desperate to get in the industry. I am not angry about it, in fact, most jobs in production were like that, and we were paid peanuts,” she said.
Kal Ho Naa Ho was Nikhil Advani’s debut film based on a script written by Karan Johar and Niranjan Iyengar. Yash Johar produced the romantic drama under Dharma Productions. It was one of the highest-grossing films upon its release.
