8-Hr Workday Debate: Deepika Finally Breaks Her Silence
The actor is championing mental wellness and balance, but her call for capped working hours highlights the tension between creativity, deadlines, and life off-screen
At a mental wellness event in Madhya Pradesh, Deepika Padukone addressed reports of her demanding fixed 8-hour workdays to balance motherhood and career. She also called out the industry’s longstanding double standards and gender discrimination. Amid swirling rumours, she finally chose to speak her mind. “By virtue of being a woman, if that’s coming across as being pushy or whatever, then so be it. But it is no secret that a lot of superstars, male superstars, in the Indian film industry, have been working for eight hours for years, and it’s never made headlines.”
For Rohan Sippy, filmmaking is simply not suited to strict timelines. “It’s not the right profession to pursue if that’s what you’re looking for. You’ve to be around — on set, in meetings, night shoots… it’s part of the job. We’re lucky to do what we love, but we also need families who understand that.”
‘Conversations can change the culture’
Actor Konkona Sen Sharma brings a more empathetic, contemporary view.
“I’ve actually been lucky to have had directors and producers who were supportive. I know I can’t get away with very short hours — it’s tough to achieve a work-life balance. But through conversations, and a bit of protest and adjustment, we can make things better.”
‘Balance is essential’
Filmmaker Hansal Mehta believes the key lies in reimagining efficiency, not enforcing rigidity.
“In our line of work, a 12-hour day is politely called a ‘shift’. The truth is, between the chaos of shoots, the endless commute, hurried meals, and barely a few hours of broken sleep, there’s little left of us. Where does our mental health or physical well-being fit into this equation? Weekends are rarely weekends. Breaks are looked down upon. Somewhere along the way exhaustion became normalised and rest became a privilege. Sometimes I wonder: can this really be called an industry if it runs on the relentless draining of its people? (sic),” he wrote.
The Generation That Managed It All
Veteran icons bring perspective from a different era — one where balance came not from boundaries, but from support.
“I never had a problem balancing my work with motherhood,” says Hema Malini. “My mother was always there to look after my daughters when I was shooting.”
Sharmila Tagore echoes the sentiment, “I made sure I was there for Saif, Saba, and Soha. I even took Saif to my shoots — he loved being on set. We women are natural multitaskers, and today’s generation has it even better with shared parenting.”
Rethinking how we work
In an industry where creativity resists clocks, perhaps the answer lies not in ending the day early — but in learning how to breathe through it.