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New mom Deepika Padukone’s exit from Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit over number of working hours in a day and contract disputes sparked a larger conversation about fixed working hours across Indian film industries. In a recent interaction, actor Rana Daggubati shared his perspective on the matter, offering a nuanced take on balancing work culture and economic realities. Rana argued that while striving for work-life balance is valid, one must also consider India’s developmental status, which may demand more effort and longer hours to reach certain standards.
He also pointed out that work hours vary significantly from one film industry to another and even from project to project. He explained to The Lallantop, “We should understand that India is a developing country. We are not a developed nation. Our economy is probably 186th in the world if you look at the per capita income. I come from the Telugu film industry which moved from Madras. It was a bunch of families and hundreds of others who packed bags and left one city and started work in another city. So to me, it is not work, it is a lifestyle. It also depends on project to project and person to person and each state has a lot to govern that.”
He then explained how working hours vary across different film industries and said, “Like in Maharashtra it is a 12-hour shift, in Telugu it is an 8-hour shift. But in Maharashtra you start at 9 am, but in Telugu we start at 7 am. The location and city, whether it is shot on a set or a studio, all this also adds to that factor, it is not generic. You need more preparation to shoot on a set, while studio gives you comfort. So it depends on project to project. You are seeing it as a generic statement, it is not.” He added, “In a country that has 1.8 billion people and 70–80 percent of those earn Rs 100 a day, and we start seeing things in that light, we will realise that we have a big place to catch up.”
When asked about actors being forced to stay on set for longer hours, Rana responded, “Nobody is forcing anybody. It is a job. Like nobody can force you, ‘You have to do this show.’ It’s a choice. Everyone has an opinion on what is important in their life. There are actors who shoot for only 4 hours and but that is their system of working.”
Earlier, reports suggested that Deepika walked out of Spirit after her demand for an 8-hour workday was rejected by Vanga. The filmmaker later posted a cryptic note on social media addressing the issue without naming Deepika. In the post, he accused the actor of playing a “dirty PR game” and wrote a long note on X. A part of his note read, “When I narrate a story to an actor, I place 100% faith. There is an unsaid NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) between us. But by doing this, You’ve ‘DISCLOSED’ the person that you are…. Putting down a Younger actor and ousting my story? Is this what your feminism stands for? As a filmmaker, I put years of hard work behind my craft & for me, filmmaking is everything. You didn’t get it. You won’t get it. You will never get it.”
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