- Deepika Padukone advocated for an 8-hour workday for female actors in Bollywood
- Kunal Kemmu stressed knowing job pros and cons and accepting work effort levels
- Deepika was dropped from Kalki sequel over fee hike and demanding shorter shifts
The year 2025 had been a significant one for Deepika Padukone on the work front. Her opinion on an 8-hour workday for female actors has sparked a wide range of reactions. Now Kunal Kemmu has shared his opinion on why it is important to know the pros and cons of the job. He spoke in general about why it is imperative to know the expectations that come with the profession.
What's Happening
- On Soha Ali Khan's podcast, Kunal Kemmu said, "Sometimes we say now I want to do this much work and spend time here. Then you leave the job. Then don't say I want to be the bigger superstar. I want to be working on 10 films a year. You choose what you want to do. Know that it will come with its pros and cons and that you signed up for it."
- He added, "You can't say in the middle of it that you want to get paid more and work less because now you feel like doing something else. If you want to be a bigger superstar and work in many films a year, you have to accept the effort that comes with it."
On Approach To Work Based On Generations
Soha Ali Khan added that the recent conversation about the same has been trending after Deepika Padukone demanded stricter work hours on set. She reiterated how the actress could say so as she could "call the shots".
Kunal Kemmu responded, "Of course, I am also not saying just genders and actors. But also generations. We have these conversations around how Gen Z don't want to work too much and millennials did. But they also want to chill and have these exploration trips. Then don't say woh mujhse 12 ghante zyaada kaam kar ke aap se zyaada salary le raha hai toh problem hai. Woh holiday pe nahi ja raha hai toh woh bhi problem hai. I also think you can take 8 hours or 4 hours."
He added, "You become the producer, put in the money and then you are the boss. Then you can say that I will be working only for this many hours, then you will know you will not finish the movie on time, and it will cost so much and I will lose money. It is very easy to do this on somebody else's part. So empower yourself. Reach a place where it's possible to do and then do it. But you can't say, you give me a job, and then I'll come and tell you how to do the job and then pay me. Then I'll be like then you do the job. Why am I suffering by taking you for this job. I am saying this in general."
What Deepika Padukone Said About The 8-Hour Shift Demand
When asked about the 8-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 8 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, publicly known that a lot of male actors have been working for 8 hours a day for years. A lot of them only work for 8 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 emphasised the urgent need for systemic change.
"While the industry is termed an industry, we have never really worked like one," she said, highlighting long hours, poor conditions, and even basic issues like food.
When asked about leading the battle on her own terms, Deepika Padukone said, "I have done this at many levels; this is not new to me. Even when it comes to pay, I have had to deal with whatever comes with it... I don't even know what to call it. But 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. To fight my battles silently and in a dignified way is the way I know."
Why Was Deepika Padukone Dropped From The Kalki Sequel And Spirit?
Last year, an unconfirmed report claimed that Deepika Padukone would not be part of the Kalki sequel. After months of speculation, the makers, Vyjayanthi Movies, confirmed the report in an X post on September 18.
The official note on X read, "This is to officially announce that @deepikapadukone will not be a part of the upcoming sequel of #Kalki2898AD. After careful consideration, we have decided to part ways."
"Despite the long journey of making the first film, we were unable to find a partnership. And a film like @Kalki2898AD deserves that commitment and much more. We wish her the best with her future projects," the note further added.
The post reminded the Internet of a similar incident in May, when Deepika Padukone walked out of Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Spirit over her 8-hour work demand after embracing motherhood last year, profit-sharing clauses, and her unwillingness to deliver dialogues in Telugu.
This time, apart from a fee hike of Rs 25 crore, Deepika was accused of demanding heavy entourage costs for her 25-person crew who accompany her on set.
"Deepika Padukone wanted a 25 percent increase in her acting fee compared to what she earned for the first part of the film. Additionally, she insisted on limiting her daily shooting schedule to a 7-hour shift. The producers offered her the convenience of a luxury vanity for rest periods in exchange for longer working hours, but she declined. She wanted 5-star stays for her 25-person crew. There were just too many demands. This raised concerns among producers who questioned why they should bear additional costs beyond the actor's fees," a source told NDTV.
Deepika's Veiled Response
A day after Vyjayanthi Movies' announcement, Deepika Padukone shared an Instagram post, making her sixth collaboration with Shah Rukh Khan official in King. She wrote in the post, "The very first lesson he taught me almost 18 years ago while filming Om Shanti Om was that the experience of making a movie, and the people you make it with, matter far more than its success. I couldn't agree more and have applied that learning to every decision I've made since. And that's probably why we're back making our 6th movie together?"
The Internet assumed this was Deepika's veiled response to detractors questioning her professionalism.
