Deepika Padukone, one of Bollywood’s highest-paid actresses, had stirred the pot with her workday demands. Following a public fallout with South cinema director Sandeep Reddy Vanga, she was dropped from two major upcoming projects, including ‘Spirit’ and the ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ sequel.
Speaking openly about her demands, Padukone advocated an 8-hour workday and pointed out how several of her male co-stars have lived by this principle. Just that they “never made headlines,” the leading lady said, justifying her not-so-unreasonable stand. Since then, several Bollywood stars, including Thamma star Nawazuddin Siddiqui, have openly echoed Deepika Padukone’s remarks in theirs.
Konkana Sen Sharma
Metro In Dino star Konkana Sen Sharma told Filmygan that she felt Padukone was “very progressive,” and that the industry “needs many more people like her.” She also supported her demands for rules. “We can’t work for 14-15 hours; we should have a 12-hour turnaround,” Sharma opined. She also advocated for one day off in the week, “especially for the technicians,” Sharma added. ” It shouldn’t be like male actors are coming late and are working late, and women are leaving their children and working for long hours. It should be equal,” said the popular OTT star.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui
The Thamma actor, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, told India Today that while he isn’t aware of the controversy around it, he believed in prioritising comfort. He said, “Jo comfortable ho, jitne hours comfortable ho, sabke liye hone chahiye. Jisme aap na thake aur apna kaam bhi aasani se karke chale [whatever is comfortable and is as comfortable as possible, should be for everyone. It should be in a way that keeps you from getting tired and allows you to easily complete your work].”
Deepika Padukone had previously reiterated her demands, while speaking to CNBC TV-18, she addressed the gender bias. “By virtue of being a woman, if that comes across as pushy or whatever, then so be it,” she added. Also supported by global Punjabi icon Diljit Dosanjh, he said that several “male superstars have worked 8-hour schedules for years; it never made news.”
Ishan Khatter
The Dhadak actor and last seen in Homebound, Khatter supported Padukone’s argument as he pointed out the lack of discipline in Bollywood schedules. In an interview with NDTV, Khatter emphasised the urgency of discussing these boundaries. He felt that the “protocol of time has been abused…people need to be considerate about others’ time.”
Hansal Mehta
Maker of the hit show Scam: 1992, Hansal Mehta addressed the toll, lack of schedule, takes on one’s mental and physical health. Being in the creative industry, he criticised the normalisation of 12-15 hour workdays as Mehta brought up “chaos, commutes, and broken sleep.”
Farah Khan, Rashmika Mandanna
Thamma’s Tadaka, Rashmika Mandanna, called Deepika Padukone’s stance “courageous” and for starting a deliberation around a topic, “women often avoid.” Adding to the voice, Rani Mukherji, took a neutral but affirming opinion. She said, “Nobody’s forcing rules on anyone. But what Deepika asks for should be possible if the system is fair,” as per a Pinkvilla report.
Deepika Padukone’s claims have been received by several work-life balance enthusiasts, making it another overdue moment inspired by the western film unions. However, the widespread support has gotten the film fraternity to openly criticise norms and conventions.
