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As the debate around work-life balance and humane work hours in the Indian entertainment industry continues to heat up-especially after reports of actress Deepika Padukone requesting structured work guidelines post-motherhood—filmmaker Hansal Mehta has added a compelling perspective to the conversation.
Hansal Mehta opens up on ‘inhuman’ work hours in the industry after Deepika Padukone’s work-life balance debate sparks discussion
In a detailed note shared on social media platform X, the Scam 1992 director reflected on the demanding nature of the industry and the toll it takes on artists, technicians, and crew members alike. His words resonated deeply across the creative community, shedding light on the exhausting work culture that many have long accepted as “normal.”
Mehta began his post by addressing the long-standing reality of relentless work hours in the business. “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.”
He further questioned the very structure of the entertainment sector, calling out its dependence on overworked professionals. “Sometimes I wonder: can this really be called an industry if it runs on the relentless draining of its people? The hardest hit are those who have the least power - the daily wagers. They are always the first to arrive and the last to leave surviving in conditions we’d call inhuman anywhere else.”
The filmmaker didn’t limit his observations to cinema alone, expanding his critique to television and OTT production as well. “On television it’s worse and now even OTT and films have slipped into the same pattern. We often celebrate the arrival of global corporations believing they’ll bring better systems. But more often than not they simply adapt to the broken ones we already have. Because it’s profitable.”
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…
— Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) October 10, 2025
Mehta ended his note with a strong message about empathy and systemic change, writing, “I truly believe that if we cared about well-being, ours and especially those who hold up the base of this pyramid we’d not only work better, but live better. The irony is that quality, efficiency, and even profit would follow. But first, we need to stop scoffing at the simple idea of rest. Because without that, what are we really building?”
Hansal Mehta’s statement has sparked widespread discussions online, with several voices from within the industry echoing his sentiments. As the conversation around fair work practices gains traction, his words serve as a crucial reminder of the need for balance and reform in an industry often driven by relentless pace and pressure.
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