Bollywood star Deepika Padukone recently stepped away from Sandeep Reddy Vanga鈥檚 Spirit, reportedly due to her request for an eight-hour workday鈥攁 firm stand that鈥檚 stirring industry-wide discussions about work鈥搇ife balance and crew welfare, especially for new mothers.
Deepika has long advocated for healthier working schedules. In a candid Film Companion interview earlier, she connected this fight to her own mental health journey. She said, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 also where I draw the line in terms of my schedule. That鈥檚 the only place where I could start feeling that I鈥檓 not enjoying what I鈥檓 doing. The only other time I felt like that was when I was experiencing depression, but that鈥檚 very different because you have no control over your thoughts and feelings. Many years ago, I realized the importance of finding a work-life balance. I don鈥檛 intend to burnout, I鈥檓 not going anywhere.鈥
She challenged the cultural misconception here and said, 鈥淪omehow, in our country, including the corporate world, taking leaves or wanting time for yourself carries a connotation of being unprofessional, not hardworking or driven enough. And I disagree. You can be all of those things and still make time for yourself. How are you going to replenish and put energy back into your work if you don鈥檛?鈥
Deepika also spoke about protecting the crew鈥檚 health and rights. 鈥淪treamlining the hours that we work, especially for the crew鈥 people need to be given enough downtime and rest so that they come back with better energy. That鈥檒l help you work faster and better the quality of your work too.鈥 She went on to stress fair pay: 鈥淪tep 2 is to be compensated for overtime鈥 The crew鈥 comes in much earlier and leaves much later. Overtime may happen but we need to find a mechanism where they鈥檙e at least compensated for that on an hourly basis,鈥 she had said.
Following reports of Deepika Padukone鈥檚 exit from the Prabhas-starrer 鈥楽pirit鈥, the makers found a new lead actress for the film. Directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, known for Animal and Kabir Singh, Spirit will now star Triptii Dimri as the female lead. Triptii has previously worked with Vanga on the successful film Animal, starring Ranbir Kapoor.