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Actor Deepika Padukone has addressed the ongoing row surrounding her demand for an eight-hour work shift, a request that reportedly led to her exit from Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit and Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD sequel. Speaking with CNBC-TV18, the actor highlighted the double standards faced by women in the film industry when compared to their male counterparts.
Deepika Padukone BREAKS SILENCE on 8-hour workday demand after exit from Spirit and Kalki sequel: “If that comes across as pushy, so be it”
“By virtue of being a woman, if that’s coming across as being pushy or whatever, then so be it,” Deepika said, responding to criticism. “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. A lot of them only work for eight hours Monday to Friday. They do not work on weekends.”
Deepika further reflected on the need for structure in an otherwise chaotic work environment. “Even though we call it an industry, we have never really worked like one. It’s a very disorganised industry, and I think it’s time we brought in some system into this culture,” she noted.
The actor found herself at the center of debate after she exited Spirit, reportedly because her request for shorter working hours — made to ensure she could balance professional and personal commitments, especially time with her daughter Dua — was not accommodated. Soon after, production house Vyjayanthi Movies announced that she was no longer part of the Kalki 2898 AD sequel, citing the project’s demand for “a higher level of commitment.”
Her comments on work hours coincided with her visit to Madhya Pradesh on World Mental Health Day, where she marked 10 years of her foundation, Live Love Laugh. The event served as both a celebration of the foundation’s decade-long work in mental health awareness and a reaffirmation of her advocacy.
When asked if she felt she was paying a price for asking what she believed was fair, Deepika responded thoughtfully: “I have done this at many levels. Even as pay is concerned, I have had to deal with whatever comes with it. I am someone who has always fought my battles silently, and for some strange reason sometimes they become public, which is not the way I know and not the way I’ve been brought up. But yes, to fight my battles and to do it silently and in a dignified way is the way I know.”
Despite the controversy, Deepika has already resumed work, beginning shoots for Siddharth Anand’s King alongside Shah Rukh Khan, Suhana Khan, and Abhishek Bachchan. She is also slated to feature in Atlee’s upcoming film AA22xA6 with Allu Arjun.
More Pages: Spirit Box Office Collection , Spirit Movie Review
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