- Ranbir Kapoor arrived at 3 a.m. for 7 a.m. shoots on Sanju without complaints
- Rajkumar Hirani said actors today understand the importance of completing shoots
- Sanju is a biopic on Sanjay Dutt’s life and was a major box office success
With discussion about an eight-hour workday on sets gaining momentum in the film industry, director Rajkumar Hirani said Ranbir Kapoor used to arrive on the Sanju set as early as 3 a.m. for a 7 a.m. shoot. Asked whether demands for shorter work hours affect film production and costing, Hirani said actors of this generation “understand the importance” of the shoot.
Responding to the question to news agency IANS, he said, “I don't think any actor from today's generation says that we will work only for these many hours. At least the ones I have worked with understand the importance. Toh karna hai toh khatam karna hai. They will finish it.”
The filmmaker then recalled how Ranbir never complained despite the demanding schedule. “I remember Ranbir (Kapoor) — he used to have a beard in the movie, so it would take him four to five hours for makeup. So if we had a 7 a.m. shift, he would come at 3 a.m. and sit in Film City at night alone.”
“I used to arrive at 6 a.m., and there used to be a van outside, a lamp hanging outside, and inside his makeup would already be underway. Then we would shoot with him for 12 whole hours. He never complained about it. Never, to anyone. I have never seen anybody complaining otherwise as well,” Hirani added.
Sanju is a biopic based on actor Sanjay Dutt's life, charting his struggles with substance abuse, personal setbacks and his arrest in connection with the 1993 Bombay bombings. Ranbir Kapoor delivered the role to perfection. The film was a monster hit at the box office.
Deepika's 8-hour row
Deepika Padukone made headlines over her demand for an eight-hour shift, which caused a rift with the makers of Spirit and the Kalki 2898 AD sequel and led to her exits from those high-profile projects.
When asked about the eight-hour shift controversy, Deepika told CNBC-TV18, “By virtue of being a woman, if that's coming across as 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!”
Deepika added, “I don't want to take names now and make this into a whole thing, but it is very commonly and publicly known that many male actors have been working for eight hours a day for years. Many of them only work eight hours from Monday to Friday. They do not work on weekends.”
She criticised the industry's ingrained “chalta hai” (let it be) culture, calling it disorganised and unstructured, and emphasized the urgent need for systemic change.
