Highlights
- Deepika Padukone’s suggestion that new mothers should work eight-hour shifts has reignited discussion around long shooting days.
- Kareena Kapoor Khan says actors should define working hours at the start of a project.
- Kalyani Priyadarshan notes that shifts in the Malayalam industry have been reduced from 16 hours to around 12.
- Ananya Panday says working hours are often decided through discussions between actors and producers.
A debate around working hours in the Indian film industry has resurfaced after Deepika Padukone suggested that new mothers should be allowed to work eight-hour shifts on film sets.
Her comments have sparked a wider conversation about the culture of long shoot days in the industry and how actors negotiate their schedules while balancing professional and personal commitments.
Film shoots in India have traditionally stretched across long hours depending on production requirements. While some leading male actors have managed to establish eight-hour shifts, women in the industry have often had to push harder to secure similar arrangements.
Actors Kareena Kapoor Khan, Kalyani Priyadarshan and Ananya Panday recently shared their perspectives on how such conversations unfold on film sets.
Kareena Kapoor Khan on defining work boundaries
Kareena Kapoor Khan said it is important for actors to clearly communicate their availability before a film goes on floors.
The actor, who has two children, noted that performers should be upfront about the number of hours they can commit to and that such expectations are best set early in the process.
Kalyani Priyadarshan on long shifts in the Malayalam industry
Kalyani Priyadarshan highlighted the demanding nature of film schedules, particularly in the Malayalam industry, where shoots have often stretched up to 16 hours.
She said that reducing those shifts to around 12 hours in recent years has been seen as a positive step, even though filmmaking cannot always operate within rigid time limits.
Ananya Panday on conversations with producers
For Ananya Panday, working hours are something that should be discussed between actors and producers rather than enforced through a uniform rule.
She said such decisions are typically negotiated privately, with the aim of finding a balance that works for both the film and the people involved.
